


David, Max and the Artifact of Importance

by StereoChromatic



Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Crossover, Gen, Indy AU, MomGwen, Not Canon Compliant, Violence, dadvid, light Gwenvid teasing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-13
Updated: 2019-09-30
Packaged: 2019-10-09 13:06:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 22,421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17407475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StereoChromatic/pseuds/StereoChromatic
Summary: David was a Botanist in a family line of Archaeologists, not that it bothered him or his recently adopted son, Max. Nevertheless, David's family matters to him, and David is always willing to help them when they need it most.Rated T for Language, and Violence





	1. Adventure Begins at Home

David was never really interested in Archaeology, not that Max cared, or anything. David was sitting at the dining room table waiting for his tea to cool down. Max had already come home from school; today was the last day before the kids went away on Easter break. Max had made himself coffee and sat down at the table with him.

“How was school today, Max?” David asked, with the sort of peppy enthusiasm that bothered Max to no end. 

“It sucked less than usual.” Max replied. “It was surprising, actually. I think some of the students were itching to leave that fucking hellhole as much as I was.”

“Language.” David reminded, sipping his tea. Max continued talking. “It was hilarious. This kid hit the fire alarm for the fun of it.” He regaled, smiling from ear to ear. “Anyway, how was your day?” Max trailed off. 

“Well, I for one had a great day!” David replied.

“You always do.”

“That isn’t always true!” David tried to argue. Max, however just crossed his arms and scowled. The two of often got into harmless mini confrontations such as this one, ever since Max had run away from home to live with David. Getting legal custody of Max had been a challenge, but eventually he did, and Max was now the adopted son of a loving, caring Father. David sat silently, thinking…

“You were saying?” Max interrupted, impatiently waiting for an answer.

“Oh, right.” David cleared his throat. “It was good. Lots of people come to the garden centre at this time of year, and I always strive to help them make their garden as bright and beautiful as it can be!” David replied.

“David, it’s like, late March.”

“And? It’s spring, so it’s the best time of year to start planting crops and vegetables.” 

“I’m aware, you spent last weekend planting carrots, tomatoes and chilli seeds in our lame excuse for a backyard. There’s barely any room to play in it anymore.” Max complained.  
David shouldered his complaint to one side, whilst telling Max about his plants. “Well, those plants will be ripe by September, I’m sure you’ll be able to enjoy the last of the summer sunshine then!”

“But what about June, July, and August?” Max continued, raising his voice. 

“We’ll be at Camp Campbell!” David said excitedly “There’s plenty more space there than in our backyard.” He said affirmatively.

“Fair point.” Max huffed. He couldn’t be bothered to argue further, instead he started pilfering some biscuits from the cupboard. As much as he couldn’t stand David’s chipper demeanour, having David for a father was a damn slight better than his previous family, not that he would readily admit that in front of anyone. So far nobody really questioned about his biological family, and he was happy to keep it that way. Not that it mattered too much; Sleepy Peak wasn’t much of a big town anyways. Max was about to return to his seat, but then the phone rang. 

*Ring* *Ring*, *Ring* *Ring*

“I’ll get it!” David yelped, springing out of his seat and darting for the phone.

“Hello?” David said. 

“Oh, Hey David!” came an excitable rambunctious voice from the other end. “Is Max home?” 

“Why yes, he is, Nikki.” David paused for a moment. “Would you like to talk to him?” 

“Yes Please!” Nikki called out. David put a hand over the phone. “Max, its Nikki!” 

“Don’t worry, I’m coming.” Max said getting out of his chair and heading towards the phone.

“Hey Nikki, its Max.”

“Hiya Max. Guess what.”

“What?” 

“Mom and I are going on vacation, with Neil and his Dad!” Nikki yapped excitedly down the phone.

“Oh, Great.” Max paused, rolling his eyes. “Where are you going?” he asked.

“San Diego.” Nikki replied.

“Good for you.” Max said. “How are you guys doing?”

“Pretty well. Neil and his dad moved in a couple of weeks ago. Neil’s pretty embarrassed about the whole thing, but now that we’ve all been together for a while, I think we’ll be alright.” Nikki explained. “Anyway, how is life with David?”

“He’s annoying as hell, but I’d be lying if I said he wasn’t better than my old family. Max admitted.

“Yeah.” Nikki hesitated. “Look, I gotta go now, Mom’s waiting. Tell David me and Neil said hi.”

“I will. See you around, Nikki.”

“You too, Max.” and she hung up. Max put the phone back down and walked back to his coffee. It was still warm, and Max drank it all in one go. David looked at Max with concern, before Max spoke.

“Nikki and Neil said hi.” Max told him. David smiled and nodded in response, taking in a large gulp of tea.

“How are they?” David asked.

“Yeah, they’re okay.” Max replied. “Neil and his dad moved in with Nikki, and now they’re all going on holiday to San Diego.”

“San Diego?” David asked.

“Yup. And they’re off somewhere nice, whilst we,” Max paused. “Are stuck here.”

“I’m sure we’ll get to have a nice holiday some time.” David said reassuringly.

“Your optimism is not convincing me David.” Max irked. “I’m sure you went on plenty of holidays as a child, didn’t you?”

“Not really, Max.” David said, his smile gone.

“Besides Camp Campbell, we rarely went on vacation together as a family. My Dad was often out doing fieldwork in Archaeology in far off places. For a long time he did it alone, later on, he took my older brother along with him.

“Wait, you have an older brother?” Max replied, surprised. 

“Yes, I do. I’m not an only child.” David replied. “He took to Archaeology like his father. I’m more of a Botanist, myself.”

“As we both know.” Max replied smugly, arms folded. “Gee, what are they doing now, I ask myself?” Max thought aloud,

“My brother is studying for a Masters in Archaeology, and our dad is teaching it.” David explained.

“Thanks.” Max replied. “I’m glad we got the family history lesson out of the way.” Max replied, leaving his chair to sit on the sofa. He reached for the TV remote, and turned on the TV. There wasn’t an awful lot on, but Max eventually settled on some trashy gameshow whilst David did some housekeeping. Before long, it was dinnertime, and David was treating Max to some lasagne. Max enjoyed it, and it made David so happy when his son smiled, licking his lips after a hearty meal. David washed the dishes whilst Max had some ice cream for dessert. David told Max he was allowed to stay up until 9pm, and they passed the time together playing board games and video games in the living room. By the time David had gotten Max to go to bed, at slightly later than planned, David went back downstairs, made himself tea, and sat on the sofa. He spent some time to think. He remembered that he had booked next week off work so he could spend more quality time with his son, he thought up plans on ways to spend the coming week. He grabbed piece of paper, sat at the table with his cup of tea, and scribbled ideas to his heart’s content. Midway through this, however, he heard the phone ring.

*Ring* *Ring*. David quietly and calmly got up out of his seat and walked towards the phone. Slowly, he reached for it and picked it up.

“Hello?” David spoke.

“Hello, this is Barnett College reception. Are you a Mr David Jones?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some of you may have guessed what series this is crossing over with (Though i have put it in the tags since).
> 
> Feel free to comment and provide feedback!


	2. A Short Converstaion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> David took that phone call worse than Max expected. Luckily, there are people to guide you wherever you look.

David froze for a moment, before hesitantly answering. “Yes, that’s me.”

“I have Dean Joseph Bellamy here. He’d like to speak to you, if that’s ok.” The receptionist told him.

“Yes. That would be fine.” David replied.

“Hello. I'm the Dean, Joseph Bellamy. We were wondering if either Professor “Mountain” Jones or his son, Henry Jones V, have contacted you recently.” 

“No, they haven’t.” David replied. “Why do you ask?”

“The Professor and his son went to Mexico on an archaeological dig. They were due to return yesterday but we’ve not been able to reach him.”

“I’ll ring and see if they’re at home. I’ll ring you back.” 

“Thank you.” The Dean said, before David hung up. David reached for his pocket and pulled out his mobile phone, looking through his contacts for his brother and father. He dialled his brother’s mobile and leaned against the wall. The dialling tone kept ringing in David’s ear, until it became apparent that there was no answer. David was beginning to get worried. He dialled his Father’s mobile, hoping at least for an answer this time. None came. 

Anxiously, David rang the home number for the two of them, since they shared a house in upstate New York. David was starting to panic, a bead of sweat running down the side of his forehead. He didn’t know what to do in this situation, well, he knew how to find missing campers, and he knew the sorts of places Max would go if he were to ever run away (which was thankfully never), but this particular situation he was unprepared for. Upon hearing the inevitable non-answer, he slid down the wall he was leaning against and sat on the ground with a loud thud. David buried his face in his arms, trying to think about what to do. The thought of his family rushed through his head like a hurricane. “Were they dead? Were they alive? Would I ever see them again?” his thoughts grew in ferocity and his vision became wet and hazy. He heard footsteps pattering their way down the stairs. David wiped the tears on his sleeve before looking up and seeing Max, standing there in his pyjamas, unimpressed.

“Have you been crying?” Max asked, with a lazy anger in his voice. “I mean sure. We all need some emotional outlets from time to time but you don’t need to wake everyone up while doing so.” Max laid a hand on David’s shoulder. “Now, tell me what’s wrong, before I go mad from sleep deprivation.”

“Okay.” David breathed in and out slowly for a while before replying. “You remember I mentioned my Dad and my brother, right?”

“Yeah. What about them?” Max asked.

“Their college contacted me to see if I knew where they were. I don’t. What do I tell them?”

“The truth, idiot.” Max said, as David slowly came to his senses. “I mean, if they really are lost in the fucking wilderness, then they’re more likely to know where they are than you do.”

“That’s true but…”

“But What?” Max interrupted, but then he stopped. A number of soft knocks were heard on the front door. Max went to answer the door. Before him stood his next-door neighbour, a geriatric Chinese man of short stature, in a dressing gown and slippers. 

“Oh.” Max replied. “What are you doing out here this late at night? It’s cold outside.”  
“I could say the same of your racket.” The old man replied. “Or was that your father who thudded so loud?” David got up from where he was sitting and looked guiltily at the man.  
“Yes, that was me you heard. Sorry to wake you up like this, Mr Wan Li.” David apologised. 

“You look troubled young man.” Wan Li said. David just nodded. “Come inside.” David said. “Would you like some tea?”

“That would be nice.” Wan Li replied. David made tea whilst Wan Li made himself comfortable. David made them both tea, before joining him on the sofa.

“You can go back to bed if you want, Max.” David said. Max left the room and did so. David turned to face his neighbour. 

“I received a phone call from Barnett College, my father and brother were supposed to come back from an expedition yesterday, and they haven’t returned. I tried to reach them, but they seem to be uncontactable.”

“Hmm.” Wan Li thought for a moment. “I have learnt many things over my time, and the first thing I knew about Archaeology is that where the Professor goes, danger follows. I think your father might be in trouble, David. But if there’s anyone they can count on rescuing them, it’s you.

“Right, okay.” David said wearily. Wan Li drank some of his tea before continuing.

“My suggestion is, go to talk to the college again, and tell them what you know. Ask them about where he was before, and tell them you will help. The college will help you in any way they can. Professor Jones is well loved there, even if he isn’t the Professor Jones I once knew.” Wan Li finished his tea, and got up. 

“Thank you, Wan Li.” David replied.

“A Pleasure.” Wan Li replied, and he made for the door. He turned the handle and opened the door, before turning to David.

“And one more thing. When this is all over, ask about your Great Grandfather.”

“Yes, Wan Li.” David replied meekly as the old man closed the door behind him. David drank the rest of his tea, before ringing the college back via his mobile. He held the phone to his ear as he heard the dialling tone. Before long it was answered.

“Hello. Barnett College Reception, how can I help you?”

“Hello. It’s David. David Jones, you rang me earlier?” David said into the phone.

“Oh yes. Did you manage to contact them?” she asked, juggling talking to David and beckoning the Dean towards the phone at the same time. 

“No. I rang their house, and both their mobiles, and no answer from any of them.” David replied. 

“Right, okay. Thank you for your help. We’ll try to keep looking…

“I could offer to help you find them.” David interrupted.

“That won’t be necessary.” At that moment, the Dean came forward. “Scratch that.” He said down the phone. “We’d gladly appreciate any help we can get.” The Dean admitted.

“Thank you.” David replied. “Do you know anything about the trip they were going on?” David asked. 

“Why yes, I had asked personally for them to go to a set of Mayan ruins in the Chiapas region in Mexico. If you don’t mind taking a journey up to Barnett College, I’m sure we could arrange all the things you’d need to look for them, as well as explain this in a bit more detail.”

“Absolutely, sir. I’ll meet you there as soon as I can.” David replied.

“I look forward to seeing you in person, David.” The Dean said back. “Good luck!” and he hung up. David felt very tired, even though the events of the day were coursing through his head, it was getting late, and David knew he needed to go to bed. He trudged his way up the stairs, his eyelids growing heavier with every step. Once he made it into his room, he changed into his pyjamas, and went into bed. Tonight was going to be a long night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This takes place in 2018, by the way
> 
> If you enjoy this, please bookmark, as I update my fics on an irregular basis.
> 
> Comments and Feedback are always welcome!


	3. Impromptu Holiday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> David and Max head for Barnett College to find out a few things. Max couldn't have been more pleased... except a certain someone woke him up at 5am, so he's crankier than ever.

The next morning, David woke up to the sound of his alarm. It was deafeningly loud, even by David’s standards, for today, neither he nor Max had any time to lose. Max got up in a huff and stormed into David’s room.

“Jesus, David. It’s 5am! Why the fuck do you need to be up at this hour?” Max shouted.

“Because, Max,” David replied with peppy enthusiasm. “We’re going on Holiday!” he said, partially obscuring the truth.

“Oh shit, really?” Max reacted in surprise. “Where?”

“Somewhere in Mexico!” David replied. 

“Anywhere specific?” Max queried.

“Um.” David tried to think of a response.

“Because it seems suspicious that you would treat me to a surprise holiday and NOT know where you’re going.” Max changed his tone. “I bet you’re just looking for your family, aren’t you?”

“I’m not just looking for them! Besides, this is going to be fun, and you might even learn something along the way!” David encouraged him.

“But you don’t have any money, even I can tell that your Garden Centre job doesn’t pay shit.”

“The College said for me go to them and they’ll explain more there. I assume that means they’ll pay for the trip.” David reassured.

“But we still have to get there. New York is fucking miles away.”

“Language, Max.” David said. "I’ll sort that out whilst you start packing the stuff you want to bring. Deal?”

“Deal.” Max replied. 

Max went back to his room and rifled his drawers for enough sets of trousers, underwear, t-shirts, a spare hoodie, a jumper, his DS, and Mr Honeynuts. Having laid out what he needed, he fetched a suitcase from downstairs and stuffed all of his things inside. He then got dressed, before going downstairs and making himself some toast for breakfast. David meanwhile, was checking through his savings, the nearest flights to New York, and packing his own suitcase, before joining his son for breakfast. David made coffee for the both of them, and sat down.

“You packed everything you need?” David asked.

“Yeah. You ready and everything, because I’m gonna be pissed if you woke me up this early just so I had to wait for you."

“We’ll be leaving the house at 6, Max.” David replied. “And yes, I do have all of my things ready as well, including passports and other important documents.”

“Right. Cool.” Max said dismissively, taking a few sips of his coffee. “Are we taking the coffee machine?” he asked.

“No we are not, Max.” David replied. “Too much coffee is bad for you. Besides, coffee is one of Mexico’s main exports, so I’m sure there will be plenty there for us to drink.”

“Huh.” Shrugged Max, as he chugged down the rest of his coffee. He sat impatiently as David slowly drank his coffee. Max always drank his coffee black, whilst David used copious amounts of milk, as if to prove a point. Once David had finished his drink, he and Max grabbed their suitcases and bags and went to David’s car, which was parked outside in front of the house. After David put all of their cases and bags into the trunk, Max got into the car alongside him and they drove away from Sleepy Peak to the nearest airport. After checking in and waiting for the plane, they then got on the plane and took the flight to New York. Max was already getting bored. David suggested he and Max watch an in-flight movie to pass the time. This seemed to work, even though Max wasn’t very interested in Batman & Robin, at least it beat staring at clouds for 2 hours. After the film was finished, Max again became impatient.

“Are we there yet?” he huffed. 

“Nearly.” David replied. We should be coming in to land any time now. Not too long after he said that, an announcement by the stewardesses was made.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we will be landing in a few minutes, please fasten your seatbelts.”

“I said we were landing soon!” he remarked at Max.

“Yeah, you did alright," Max replied as he fastened his seatbelt, whilst David fastened his. After that, the plane landed on the runway at Albany, New York. Max and David left the plane with the other passengers and went to get their luggage. Thankfully they were able to retrieve said luggage without any difficulty. Max silently praised this run of good luck before turning to David.

“Where next, genius?” he asked.

“Well Max, we’re going to hail a taxicab to Fairfield and the College will be right there when we arrive.” 

“Sure. Are you aware of how much that’s gonna cost. Cos it’s a lot.” Max said.

“Would you rather we took the bus? Because we don’t really have any other options.” David pleaded. 

“Alright, we’ll take the fucking taxicab.”

“Language.”

“Whatever.” Max replied. “Let’s go.” They both went to a close-by taxicab parked in the airport waiting for them. As they got into the cab, the Driver asked “Where to?”

“Barnett College, Fairfield.” David replied.

“Okay.” The taxi driver replied, and the car drove towards the college. Max took out his DS from his bag and began to play with it to allay the boredom of another hour long journey. David, meanwhile just watched the trees and plants as the car drove past them, counting in his head how many different species he saw. Max, however, wasn’t interested in what was going on outside, he just wanted to enjoy the holiday, with preferably as few road trips as possible. Not much later the taxicab entered the town of Fairfield, New York, and before long, the Taxicab had parked outside the front steps of Barnett College. David paid the taxi driver and took his and Max’s luggage out of the trunk. The two of them stood outside the college and looked at it. David was awed by it, Max thought it felt imposing, the grandeur of it made him feel uncomfortable, as if the building itself would punish him for getting up to his usual shit. 

“Come on Max, let’s go.” David turned to him. The two of them trudged up the steps and David knocked slowly, but loud enough to hear and waited. The Door to the college opened and before them was a bold figure, of about average height, average build, his hair was black, with greying patches, and there was obvious signs of aging on his face, even if you ignored the round, gold-rimmed spectacles and his obsessively well-kept moustache. 

“Why hello there, you must be David Jones.” The man greeted.

“I am.” David replied. “You would be the Dean, Joseph Bellamy."

“You are correct.” The Dean turned towards Max. “And who is this?” he asked, adjusting his glasses.

“This is Max. He’s my son.” David beamed proudly.

“Pleased to meet you, sir.” Max smirked. 

“Pleased to meet you too.” The Dean replied, before turning back to David. “Shall we go inside?” 

“Absolutely.” And the three of them entered the college.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any and all feedback is appreciated, And thank you for the Kudos!


	4. Inside Barnett College

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Dean explains more about what they know of the other Jones' whereabouts, and promises assistance wherever he can

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, some plot progression!

The college was every bit as grandiose on the inside as it was on the outside. 

“Wonderful, isn’t it?” Dean Bellamy mused proudly. David took in his surroundings. They windows were adorned with stained glass, and the walls shone a bright white. The building had changed very little in the past 80 years. The lighting had been modernised, for instance, which gave the rooms much more colour than it used to. 

“Follow me, we will be going to your father’s office.” Dean Bellamy told them. David and Max followed him. Max dragged his feet behind David. He still felt something was off about this place.

“Are there any students here?” Max asked. 

“Not today.” The Dean replied. The students will be back next week.

“So it’s Easter Break.” Max replied.

“You could say that.” The dean replied.

“Max, is there something wrong?” David asked.

“Now’s not the time, David.” Max replied. “I just feel like I’m walking on eggshells whilst I’m in here. Like the walls would close on me if so much as stepped on a creaky floorboard.” 

David nodded in understanding.

“Not a fan of discipline are you, Max?” Dean Bellamy asked. Max didn’t respond, and looked at David pleadingly. David understood and turned to Bellamy.  
“Mr Bellamy, if we could stay on topic…”

“Oh yes, absolutely.” Dean Bellamy. Now, in here,” He said, gesturing at the door on his right, “is your father’s office." The sign on the door read Professor Henry Jones IV. Bellamy opened the door, and led both of them inside. Inside the office there were plenty of areas of interest. On the wall behind Dr Jones’ desk hung a framed picture of the Jones family tree, from the parentage of Henry Jones Sr. all the way down to David, his brother, and his cousins. Max wasn’t on the tree yet, but David was sure his father would do so once he saw him. The Dean pointed them towards a globe sitting on the desk. 

“David.” The Dean said as he and the others sat down.

“Yes?” David replied.

“It is time we get to the point as to why you are here.” Bellamy began.

“You said my brother and father went to Mexico, if I recall correctly.” David replied.

“Indeed they are.” Dean Bellamy confirmed. “At my own request I asked him to research some Mayan ruins in the Plan de Ayutla site in Chiapas, Mexico. There was news of a recently discovered tomb there belonging to an important Mayan figure. The last we heard of him he’d seen the entrance to the tomb but had not entered. We are willing to go to any length to bring him back.” He explained. “We would be very grateful if you could help us. I would come along too, but alas, my body is not fit for adventuring anymore. Your ‘quest’ is to find the professor and his son and bring them home.”

“And how do you expect us to do that?” Max asked. 

“Of course, we’ll provide you with all the things you need, that you don’t have already.” The Dean assured. David gave a list of what he had brought: Clothes, money for the flight they went on, a flashlight, a compass, his phone, a pair of walkie talkies, two hammocks, tarp, a hand mirror, and some tinned food. 

“Okay, we can provide you with plane tickets to Mexico, enough money to survive on for two weeks whilst you’re there, and this.” The Dean turned to a cupboard, reached into it and pulled out a square box made of wood and Perspex. Inside the box was a bullwhip. The Dean showed it to David and Max.

“Now this, is a bullwhip. Your father uses this occasionally to demonstrate some of the adventures he and his predecessors went on in pursuit of archaeological finds.” 

“What kind of things were your predecessors doing?” Max asked David uncertainly. 

“Oh, Henry “Mountain” Jones would always tell us about his grandfather’s adventures.” The Dean began. “Stuff like whipping guns out of people’s hands, swinging over crevasses, hanging on to the back of a truck, that kind of thing. In any case, David, we would like you to have this one.” He said, taking it out of the box.

“I’m not much of a weapon user, myself.” David said, attempting a polite refusal.

“Then you can use it as simply a utility tool. This thing is lighter than rope” The Dean remarked, handing the whip to David. “And just as strong.”

“Thanks.” David replied, tucking it around his belt. 

“And as for your son here, we can provide him with a Spanish phrasebook.” The Dean added. “We wouldn’t want him to feel left out, would we?” 

“Don’t patronize me.” Max replied.

“Very well.” The Dean replied, handing him the phrasebook. “The things I haven’t already provided you with will be provided to you at the reception when you make you way there.”

“Thank you.” David replied, standing up.

“Take care of yourselves.” The Dean said. “I look forward to seeing you and your family return home safely.” 

“We will.” David said, as he and Max strode out of the room. The Dean guided David and Max towards the reception, where they received the plane tickets to Mexico and enough money to cover two weeks’ worth of expenses. “Good luck on your adventure!” the receptionist cheerily said to David as he and Max were about to leave. 

“We’ll need it.” Max replied nonchalantly. As David and Max left the college door, David turned to face Max.

“Max, I’m…”

“I’m what?” Max asked.

“You were very well behaved Max.” David replied. “I’m so proud to call you my son.”

“Aw shucks, David, it was nothing.” Max replied. “I’m sure there’s something in this town we can get to make up for that.”

“Great idea, Max.” David replied. “I agree, we do have a bit of time to sightsee after all.” The two of them walked into the centre of town. Just across the other end of the street, there was a Goodwill. “Here seems like a good place.” David said enthusiastically. The two of them crossed the road and headed inside. 

Inside the Goodwill was a variety of second-hand goods, such as clothes, DVDs, games, books, and other accessories. David’s attention was focused on a slightly worn brown leather jacket, whilst Max was looking at a light blue t-shirt, similar to his hoodie. Max took the hoodie and grabbed a copy of The Dark Knight from another shelf, before re-joining with David, who was waiting at the till, holding the jacket and a large green sun hat. David paid for the items with money he had left over from their first flight. As David and Max left the store, David wore his newly acquired jacket and sun hat over his green t-shirt and beige trousers, and Max had stuffed his T-shirt and DVD into his suitcase. David looked over to Max.

“Shall we get a Taxi back to Albany and fly to Mexico now?” David asked.

“Sure, why not… oh wait hang on no… uh, shit, there’s a Ben & Jerry’s just over there. Can we have ice cream first? Max stuttered.

“Okay, we’ll eat lunch first, and then we’ll fly.” David replied.


	5. Arrival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> David and Max fly to Mexico, and struggle with the language barrier...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and feedback are much appreciated!

With their stomachs full, and their hands holding tubs of ice cream, David and Max hailed a Taxi back to Albany airport. After entering, they checked in, made their way through customs, and waited for the next plane to Tapachula. The flight came 90 minutes later. And with all the connections, they wouldn’t be arriving at their destination until early the next morning. David had put the bullwhip in his luggage for safe keeping, and Max was passing the time playing on his DS.

When they got on the plane, David resolved to get as much sleep as he could, as he had to be awake and fully alert for when they landed. Max stared into space, as his mind started to fabricate worries in his head, and he continued to think about them up until they made their last connecting flight. 

David looked at Max, noticing the slowly growing expression of worry on his face.  
“What’s wrong, Max?” he asked.

“Nothing.” Max replied. “I should probably get to sleep.” And he leaned on the chair and fell asleep. David took the chance to get some extra shuteye as well. 

David woke up to the sight of Max thrashing about in his sleep. David suddenly looked very concerned.

“Please… Mom… no…” Max cried weakly as his arms flailed around, slapping David in the chest with all the ferocity of a clawless kitten. David leaned over to Max.

“Max, wake up.” David said, as softly as he could. Max heard the sound of David’s voice perforate his dream and he instantly became lucid, and he quickly snapped himself awake. 

“Where am I?” he said to himself, taking in his surroundings. “Oh, yeah.” He said as he remembered. “What’s going on?” he said, looking at David.  
“You were thrashing about in your sleep. It looked like you were having a nightmare.” 

“Was I talking in my sleep?” Max asked.

“Yes.” David replied.

“Oh Fuck.” Max replied apprehensively. “Uh, can we talk about this some other time? I don’t want to deal with my past issues right now.”

“That’s perfectly fine, Max.” David replied. “Is there anything else you want to talk about?”

“No. I kinda want to watch The Dark Knight, but we don’t have a Portable DVD player or anything like that.”

“I have some e-books saved up on my phone if you want to read those.” David suggested.

“Sure, anything’s better than the nightmare that I just had.” Max replied as David handed his phone to him. Max scrolled through David’s extensive list of e-books, before settling on Harry Potter. He spent the next couple of hours flicking through the pages of each instalment in the series, and managed to get to Prisoner of Azkaban by the time the plane was due to land. The plane landed safely in Tapachula, and David and Max got off the plane, before collecting their luggage from the carousel, and heading towards the exit.

“What was that Mayan site called again?” Max asked.

“Plan de Ayutla, I think.” David replied.

“Do we know where that is?” Max replied. “Because as far as I’m aware, Mr Bellamy didn’t have the sense to give us a fucking map!”

“Now now, Max, I’m sure we’ll be able to find a map around here somewhere.” David replied with enthusiasm. “We can use the phrase book that we were given.” He suggested.

“Ok, alright.” Max said, fishing the phrasebook from within his luggage. “We’ll go to the info desk and ask there.” The two of them walked up towards the information desk in the airport lobby. Max spent a couple of minutes looking for the right words to say, before heading to the desk.

“Hola. Tienes una mapa?” Max asked, in his best Spanish, to the receptionist. 

“Si. 40 Pesos, por favor.”

“Uh, tengo dos US Dollars.” Max said.

“Bueno. Aqui esta tu mapa.” The man said, accepting Max’s cash and handing him a map of Chiapas. 

“Gracias.” Max responded, taking the map and walking back to where David was waiting.

“Did you get the map?” David asked.

“Sure.” Max answered, shoving the map in his face. “The man asked for Pesos, and I gave him 2 dollars for it. We need to find a foreign exchange currency thing before we leave, or we’ll be royally fucked if we ever need anything.”

“Language. And, good suggestion, Max.” David replied. “Would you like to help me find it?”

“Better than leaving me unattended in a busy airport, I guess.” Max retorted. 

David and Max walked around the airport, looking for a Foreign Currency Exchange, and eventually, after a few minutes, they found one.

“You do it this time.” Max said, handing him the phrasebook. 

“Why? Don’t you want to do it?”

“Would you trust me to handle this much money?” Max said back at him. There was a long pause which signalled David was thinking log and hard about his answer.

“Yes.” David answered. Max was wide eyed in surprise. “As much as I’d expect you to say you’d run off with it, I trust you as a person enough to do the right thing, even when it isn’t the easiest decision. I doubt that the man at the counter would, though, so you’re right in saying I should be the one to ask.” David explained, before walking off to the Currency Exchange counter. Max waited nearby whilst David exchanged his Dollars for Pesos. 

When David returned, Max was attempting to study as much of the map as he could without opening it.

“Why don’t you try opening the map?” David suggested.

“Maps like these are incredibly big when opened and are a pain in the ass to fold back up.” Max complained.

“Why don’t we start walking around town, and maybe we’ll find a table and read the map there?” David said. “Come on it’s almost dawn, you don’t want to miss the sunrise!”

“Okay, okay, let’s go.” Max said, fumbling around with his map and suitcase, before following behind David as they left the airport. As they walked out, the first rays of sunshine peeked out from beyond the horizon. David stood there, mesmerized by it. Max took one glance at it, and then stared at the now partially opened map. 

“Nope, we ain’t walking to town.” Max announced. 

“Why not?” David asked.

“Because the airport is 10 miles away from the town.” 

“We’ll take a taxi.” David said. And they went into the taxi.

“Where to?” the taxi driver asked as they got in.

“Ciudad de Tapachula, por favor.” David said, handing over the required money, when the driver named his price. As the Taxi made its way towards Tapachula, Max opened the map out fully, and looked for Plan de Ayutla.

“Goddamn, that’s a long way away.” Max exclaimed. David looked over at where Max was pointing. “It’s over 150 miles away.” Max continued.

“And it appears to be even longer by road.” David commented.

“We’re gonna need to find a rental, or a cheap rust-bucket car, or something.” Max added.

“We’ll look for one in town.” David replied. The taxi driver overheard them talking and made sure to park close to a car dealership. David thanked the taxi driver, and he and Max left, dragging their luggage behind them. In front of them was a shop with a sign saying “Velasquez y Garcia Autos.” The two of them walked inside. At the desk was a short middle aged woman, with greying hair and a slightly expanded waistline.

“Hola. ¿Que necesitas?” she said. Max fumbled through the phrasebook looking for what to say, but the woman didn’t have any patience for foreigners. She turned to face a door on the side and shouted.

“¡Niña dolina, necesito ayuda!” ¡Estos idiotas Americanos no hablan Español!

¡Mama! Estoy de mi Vacaciones! Came a voice from the other side. “Yo no Trabajo.” She said as she burst through the door. She turned to look at the customers, and froze on the spot in surprise.

“David!?”

“Gwen!?”


	6. Mi Casa, Su Casa

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> David and Gwen catch up, before she offers to help with their search.

“You’re here?” Gwen said, mouth agape.

“Yeah we’re here.” Max said, appearing unfazed by what was going on.

“And you brought Max!?” Gwen realised.

“Jeez, cool it, Gwen.” Max said. “We had no idea you were here, either, and you don’t see us freaking out.”

“Yes.” David continued. “Us meeting you here is a complete coincidence.”

“Right.” Gwen replied, stopping to think. “Why don’t we go into the kitchen, sit down, and catch up. I need a drink.”

“That sounds like a great idea, Gwen.” David agreed. The three of them all went into Gwen’s parents’ kitchen. Gwen made coffee for the three of them and sat down.

“So, what brings you here?” Gwen asked. 

“We’re on vacation.” David replied.

“Technically.” Max added.

“Technically?” Gwen asked.

“Some random College told him that his dad and brother went missing in some Mayan ruin and now we have to fetch them or something.” Max explained.

“Sounds fishy.” Gwen said, suspicious.

“My Dad’s a professor there.” David said proudly.

“And I take it your brother is a student?” Gwen pressed, taking a large sip of coffee. David nodded as he began to drink his coffee. 

“So why are they at a Mayan ruin again?” Gwen asked.

“Archaeology course.” David replied, in between gulps.

“And you came here because…” 

“Their last known location is on the other end of the state and this was the closest airport town.” Max explained.

“So you need a drive, basically.” Gwen summarised.

“Yep.” Max and David replied in unison. The three of them drank their coffee, before Gwen’s mom burst in.

“¡Oye! ¡No hay bebidas para los clientes!” she shouted.

“David es un amigo.” Gwen replied.

“Un amigo. Asi que finalmente tienes un hombre.” Gwen blushed at this assertion. David looked at Gwen and her mom and gulped suddenly in surprise. David’s face began to turn red, but Gwen reasoned that would be down to the coffee he just drank rather than any special feelings for her.

“Eso era todo lo que queria saber.” She said, turning around and walking away.

“What Was that?” Max asked.

“She thinks David’s my boyfriend.” Gwen said. Max rolled his eyes backwards.

“If your parents are bothering you, you can always join us on our little expedition.” David suggested. “How long have you got left on vacation?” 

“I still have a week left. I don’t think my parents will mind, especially after what they think of you.” Gwen replied. “And your holiday sounds a whole lot more interesting than mine, that’s for sure.”

“So that’s a yes then.” Gwen said.

“Yeah. But first we need to find a car to rent or to buy.” Max said “Plan de Ayutla would be impossible for us to walk to.”

“Plan de Ayutla, that’s on the other end of the state! It would take a day or two by car alone!” Gwen commented. “I think I can help. Follow me.” she said, having finished her coffee. The other two got up and followed her. Inside the showroom there was a variety of new and old cars. 

“So over there are some sedans, there’s a couple of SUV’s that way, and over there you’ll find a literal fuck-ton of VW Beetles.” Gwen pointed out.

“What’s this one?” David said, pointing at a car draped in cloth. 

“That is a 1970 Ford Mustang convertible.” Gwen answered.

“Nice.” Max said. “Can we drive that one?”

“No Max. We should at least have something that’s economical, like that one there.” David said, pointing at a dark green 2002 Volvo C70 soft-top convertible.

“Eh. There are worse cars, I guess. I bet all the beetles have bugs inside them.” Max relented.

“Okay, now the only question is whether to rent or buy?” Gwen asked.

“We’ll rent. We don’t have close to the amount of money to buy a car, especially since we’re only using it for the week.” David responded. 

“Rent it is!” Gwen agreed. “I’ll get the keys.”

“I’ll go with you!” David said, a little too quickly. “It’ll be less awkward that way.” He reasoned. Gwen thought about how she would have approached the situation on her own.

“Yeah, you’re right. It would.” Gwen agreed. “Do you speak any Spanish?”

“I have a phrasebook.” David replied.

“I’ll do the talking in Spanish, and you handle the money. Got it?” 

“Understood, Gwen.” David replied. Gwen and David went back into the foyer where Gwen’s parents were waiting at the desk, with Max following behind them. Gwen told her parents what car David need and asked how much it would cost to rent for the week. When her parents told her the amount she relayed it to David.

“She said it would cost 60 Dollars.” 

“How much is that in Pesos?” David replied, holding the money in his hand. 

“Oh, Jeez. Just give it here, I‘ll deal with it.” Gwen told him. David handed it over without any hesitation. Gwen counted out the money needed and handed it to her parents.

“Thanks, Gwen.” 

“No Problem, David.” Gwen replied as she received the keys to the car and handed them to David. As the three of them headed towards the car, Gwen’s mom caught her attention.

“¿Vas con ellos?” 

“Si. Aventura con un amigo, ¿Qué sería mejor?” Gwen replied.

“Gracias a todo. ¡Hasta Luego!” Gwen’s mom said to her as she left the room. Gwen went upstairs to fetch her suitcase from her holiday before coming back down to the garage. As she caught up to them, David and Max were already putting their luggage in the trunk. Gwen put her luggage in the trunk as well. Max got in the back of the car whilst Gwen got in the passenger seat. Max handed the map to Gwen as David got in the driver’s seat. 

“Thanks.” Gwen said sarcastically. 

“Hey Max, before we go, do you want the roof down?” David asked.

“Hell yeah I do.” Max replied. As David fiddled with the roof, Gwen rifled through a small bag of essentials that she kept on her person, and took out a bottle of sunscreen.

“Bet you didn’t pack this, did you?”

“No.” Max replied. “Neither did David.”

“Here. We wouldn’t want you to get sunburned, would we?” Gwen said, handing the bottle to Max. Max applied the sunscreen onto his arms and face and handed the bottle back to Gwen. Gwen applied Sunscreen on her own arms and face and waited for David to do the same. Once he had done so, he sat down, and Gwen showed him the map.

“Which route do you want to take?”

“I don’t mind which, really.” David replied.

“There’s three viable routes to choose from.” Gwen replied. “The one that takes the highway on the left, that has a toll, mind you. There’s one in the middle that goes through Tuxtla Gutierrez, and there’s one on the right that goes via La Trinitaria and then onto a highway that’s a ring road around the Guatemala border.

“We’ll take the right one.” David decided.

“You sure?” Gwen asked.

“Positive.” David replied. “You ready to go Max?”

“Yes.”

“Is your seatbelt on?”

“Yes.” Max replied, as he did up his seatbelt. 

“Then let’s go.” David said, turning on the engine. They drove out of the garage and then onto the open road.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will update tags as and when the story demands them.
> 
> Any and all comments and feedback are much appreciated!


	7. Road Trip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max, David and Gwen go on a 11 hour drive to Plan de Ayutla. Max gets bored.

As they drove out of town, Max was enjoying the feeling of wind rushing past his face, but as time went by, the ferocity of the wind and the noise it made was starting to irritate Max. He sank lower in his seat, using David’s seat as a windbreak, in the hope that they would get irritated and stop to put the roof up. The three of them drove for several miles on the highway, until Gwen heard audible rumbling from David’s stomach.

“Did either of you have breakfast?” Gwen asked.

“No.” Max replied. “We’ve been rushing around the entire morning, if you hadn’t noticed.”

“Right. Next place we see, we’ll stop and I’ll grab us something to eat.” Gwen said to them. The three of them until they got to a nearby petrol station, where they stopped. Gwen went into the shop and got some snacks, biscuits and cereal bars, whilst David filled up the tank. Having paid for both the food and the fuel, David and Gwen returned to the car.

“Are we putting the roof back up?” Max asked.

“No.” Gwen replied. “Soon it’s going to be, really hot, like, Mexican desert hot. So we’re keeping the roof open, no ifs or buts. ”

Max thought about answering back, but decided to go against doing that. From her tone and facial expressions, he could tell Gwen was definitely not in the mood for any bullshit from him. Gwen gave him a cereal bar and left the biscuits in between the two seats, so that anyone could reach for them if they got peckish. 

Max and David ate their cereal bars, and they continued on their journey.

Gwen was right when she said it was going to be hot. The wind in their faces was a welcome relief from the sweltering heat. As much fun as David and Gwen were having, going on this adventure, this was still a very long road trip, and Max was getting bored. Gwen suggested a game of I spy, to help pass the time. Max reluctantly agreed, given there wasn’t anything else to do, and the two of them played I spy.

“I spy, with my little eye, something beginning with…"

“The sky.” Max answered, with no surprise in his voice. “My turn. I spy, with my little eye, something beginning with r.”

“The road.” Gwen replied. Max rolled his eyes. “Your turn.” He said. And it continued back and forth like this for the next whole hour, until both of them were bored out of their minds. Max took a biscuit and ate it whilst Gwen tried to think of another game. Failing that, she turned to David.

“Hey David, what do you do to entertain Max when he’s bored?” she asked.

“Well usually, there’s something on TV to watch, or we talk about stuff, or we play video games…”

“That’s not helping, David.” David continued to talk.

“…Just last week, there was this police chase programme on.” At that moment, a grey BMW hurtled past them at well over the speed limit.

“Whoa. What the fuck was that?” Max said, eyes tracking the speeding motorist.

“Looks like a fugitive.” David said, keeping his eyes on the road. A siren was heard, getting louder as it got closer. David pulled over slightly to the right to allow the police car some space.

“And that would be the chasing Police car.” Gwen commented as it passed them. The grey BMW was made to slow down, allowing the police car to catch up to it, and providing Max and co with a spectacular view of the chase. The BMW attempted to weave past the traffic, but there was never any room to pass. With the cops breathing down its neck, the BMW muscled its way past someone’s car, trading paintwork and knocking off a wing mirror. Max broke into a smile as the action unfolded in front of him. David had to make a quick manoeuvre in order to avoid the wing mirror, but he avoided it, and everyone was okay. 

Eventually, with the BMW boxed in between other cars, the Police car forced him to go to the side of the road, where the culprit slowed, was stopped and then apprehended by the police. David and Gwen let out a small cheer as they passed them. Max kept on smiling. 

“Holy shit.” Gwen said as they continued on the highway. “That was amazing.”

“Hell yeah it was.” Max said excitedly.

“I admit, it was pretty cool.” David joined in.

“Not to mention your car control and manoeuvring skills, David.” Gwen said.

“That was pretty cool.” Max said. “I totally felt like part of the action then!”

“We essentially were part of the action.” Gwen said. Gwen and Max kept talking about the chase and making speculations about it for a long while afterward, and before they knew it they were at the halfway point of their journey at La Trinitaria. By now it was lunchtime, and David had parked near a local restaurant, where the three of them had lunch and went on a rest break. After that, they headed off down the road again, making a right turn, before continuing along the highway. David was struggling to hold his focus after eating a spicy taco, so Gwen was driving in his stead. Max and David passed the time by talking. Max was trying to get a conversation started about the police chase, but David was busy trying to points out every plant and tree they came across.

“How do you put up with this, Max?” Gwen asked.

“Trust me, it isn’t easy.” Max replied. David stopped, and decided to talk more in detail about his family to Gwen, whilst Max sat back and listened. Eventually they got to a long straight section of road that ran parallel to the Guatemala border, 1km away. As interesting as that fact was when David said it, this straight road was even more boring than the winding road that came before it. David and Max then both decided to talk about politics, which led to a long discussion about the president, his cabinet, and some of the current political issues like guns, immigration, refugees and whether America had forgotten the values of freedom that it once stood for, or not. 

After that discussion, the three of them had some more biscuits and some water. By now, they were most of the way through the road trip, and Gwen slowed down as they crossed over a river. The environment was becoming a lot more dense and green, and David didn’t hesitate to explain to Max and Gwen the different tree species as they passed them.

“I’ve said before and I’ll say it again. I am not interested in trees, David.” Max said. David acknowledged him and became quiet. The three of them drove up to an exit road that led straight to Plan de Ayutla, which they took. The stretch of road between them and the Plan de Ayutla was easily the worst road they driven on the entire trip, unmarked and bumpy, the three of them bounced in the car until they finally made it to the entrance of the archaeological site. When they stopped, they took a look at their surroundings. 

“That’s funny.” David thought aloud. “There doesn’t seem to be anyone here.” Max spotted something in the distance.

“Uh oh.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun dun...


	8. Family Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max, David and Gwen finally meet David's family. David's dad sees his grandson for the first time.

Max exited the car with his hands in the air. “Please, whoever you are, don’t hurt us. We mean you guys no harm.” Max watched as the bushes rustled. A small Mayan child ran out towards Max. Max crouched down to the child’s level so as to not be threatening, but all the child did was ruffle his hands in Max’s floofy hair, which annoyed him greatly. Max stood up, not wanting the child to mess it up further. At this point David and Gwen got out of the car and stood beside Max.

“Hello? Is there anybody home?” David asked uncertainly. Another rustle was heard, and an older Mayan man emerged from the bush, spear held upright in his left hand.

“Ho-la” the man said, in an attempt at speaking Spanish. 

“Hola.” Gwen confidently replied. “¿Hablar Español?” she asked.

“¡El no puede, pero yo puedo!” came another voice from behind the bush. 

“He can’t, but I can.” Gwen whispered into David’s ear. Out of the bush came another Mayan, around David and Gwen’s age. 

“Ven aqui, chico.” He said to the child, who was still trying to ruffle Max’s hair. The child heard him and ran back towards his father. 

“¿Por qué éstas aquí? ¿Que Quieres?” the young Mayan father asked.

“Why are you here?” Gwen translated for David. David took his wallet out of his pocket, looking for something. Eventually he pulled out an old photo of him, and his father and brother, and showed it to the Mayans.

“Quien es ese?” the Mayan asked.

“Mi hermano y mi papa.” David replied. The Mayan man had a conversation in Tzeltal with the elder over this. 

“Sígueme” the Mayan man said.

“Follow him.” Gwen said to David. The three of them followed the Mayans to a large and flimsy wooden cage, with both his brother Henry and ‘Mountain’ Jones inside. Henry ‘Mountain’ Jones was as the nickname suggested, very tall and incredibly muscly, even compared to Cameron Campbell, and he could have broken through this cage easily, but he had chosen not to. Henry was more like David, except less spindly, and with auburn hair that was thick and scruffy. 

“Good God, if it isn’t David!” exclaimed ‘Mountain’.

“Hey, dad.” David said in reply. 

“Good to see you, David.” His brother added.

“And who are these fine people with you?” his Dad asked.

“Well, this is my friend Gwen, who I work with at the summer camp, and this my son, Max.

“You have a son?” David’s dad exclaimed in surprise. “Why didn’t you tell me before?”

“Well firstly, I’m adopted, which answers the other question you were going to ask. And also, he’s only been my father for a couple of months, you were busy with your research or something, so of course you wouldn’t know.” Max explained.

“Funny you should mention the research, actually.” David’s dad said with an embarrassed grin.

“Yes, we can see you’ve been captured.” Gwen remarked.

“What reason would they have for capturing you anyway?” David asked.

“Well,” David’s brother began. “We came here to find this big cavern-y temple-y place and yeah we saw it, and we tried to go inside, but the village elder got angry with us and locked us up. The elder said something about a big evil hidden inside the temple, but really I have no idea what he’s talking about.”

“From what I understand,” continued, David’s dad, “Inside the temple, there is some sort of important artefact that could wield terrible power, were it to fall in the wrong hands.” 

“How can you understand what he’s saying?” Henry asked him.

“As the professor, I’ve actually been studying Tzeltal.” David’s dad replied. “Speaking of which, how on earth did you find us?”

“The Dean called me, asking for help. Max seemed to want to go on vacation and I agreed to help. It’s an expenses paid holiday at the end of the day.

“Yeah, in the middle of frickin’ nowhere.” Max interjected, trying not to swear.

“So he won’t mind if I come back empty handed, then.” David’s dad asked.

“I doubt it. He just wants you back safe and sound. And as for me, it’s nice to catch up with family, especially now that I have Max for a son.”

“Unless they’re my old family, they can go to hell, frankly.” Max said bluntly.

“Quite.” David said in agreement.

“So, Grandpa, and new Uncle Henry. Guess I should say hi.” Max introduced himself. “Glad to meet you.”

“Glad to meet you too young man.” David’s dad said.

“Do you want us to break you out?” Gwen asked. 

“We’ll try the more diplomatic approach first, I think.” David’s dad decided. He called out in Tzeltal to one of the villagers, who was standing nearby. The villager went over to him and listened to what he had to say. After hearing that, the villager left him to look for the elder.

“What did he say?” asked Uncle Henry. 

“He says he’s going to find the key. I told him you were here to take us home and that we would be sensible enough to leave the temple and it’s treasure alone.” David’s dad replied.

“Yeah. Getting you home would be good. You guys look like you need a rest.” Gwen pointed out. A short while later, the villager returned with the elder and the key. The two Mayans unlocked the cage and set the two Henrys free. David’s dad thanked the Mayans and joined up with David, Gwen and Max. The five of them walked back to their car, which was still in the clearing they had left it.

Getting David’s dad into the car was a challenge, given his size. After a small amount of thinking and shuffling, they decided to let David be the driver, with David’s dad next to him, and Gwen, Max, and Uncle Henry in the back. Even though it was starting to get dark it was about to get cold, having the roof up was now no longer an option. Uncle Henry piped up with a question.

“Hey, David, where are we going?” 

“I’m not sure. Hopefully we can find a hotel nearby, and then tomorrow, we can ring up the Dean and ask him what to do next. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind if we spent some quality time on holiday here.”

“This was as part of my job.” David’s dad reminded him.

“Oh, right.” David said, slightly crestfallen. “But anyway, we should look for a hotel, or, failing that, I brought a tent with me if we need somewhere to sleep.”

“We’d better not fail then, because there wouldn’t be enough frickin’ space for the five of us.” Max complained.

“Are you trying not to swear?” Uncle Henry asked.

“How could you tell?” Max asked.

“You just learn, after a while.” Henry replied. “For the record, we don’t give a shit.”

Max and Gwen chuckled to themselves.

“Language, Henry.” David said. Everyone else burst out laughing. 

“You guys ready?” David asked.

“Yep, we’re ready. The others replied. David turned on the ignition and the car began. He pulled out of the clearing and back out onto the road, only to see a large, silver Mercedes 4x4 barrelling towards them at a rate of speed. 

“Who the hell are they?” Max asked as the car rushed past them.

“I dunno, but I bet they want the artefact.”

“I’m afraid you might be right, Gwen.” David’s dad agreed. “Turn around, David, we’re following them now.

“Right you are, dad.” And he turned the car around.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun dun... (again)...


	9. Temple Chase

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> David and Co. go after the bad guys, following them into the temple.

David and the others followed the 4x4 back into the Mayan site, and David beeped his horn angrily when the 4x4 stopped. A group of three people got out of the 4x4, one of which was carrying a machine gun. The other two started to look for the temple whilst the third member brandished the gun at the onlooking tribespeople. 

“What the fuck is he doing?” Uncle Henry asked.

“Threatening them. Use your eyes, dumbass.” Max answered.

“Okay, but how do we stop them? We don’t have any weapons or anything.” Henry replied.

“David has a whip.” Max coolly pointed out. 

“And what can I do with that, Max?” David asked loudly.

“I dunno, whip the gun out of his fucking hands!?” Max replied.

“Yeah, like my Grandpa used to do.” David’s dad encouraged.

“Unless you want me to do it.” Max suggested jokingly.

“No Max, I’ll do it.” David said, readying his whip. David quietly stepped out of the car whilst the goon was distracted. Everything was nervously silent for a few seconds before Max shouted out of the window.

“Hey, Asshole! Over here!” the goon turned to face Max, giving David an easy opportunity to crack his whip at the bad guy’s gun and sling it out of his hands and onto the ground a few feet away, which he did so. At that moment, David’s dad and the others sprang into action.

“Henry, dismantle the gun. Gwen, you and David go find the other two guys. I’ll handle this one.” David’s dad pinned down the formerly armed gunman whilst Uncle Henry took the gun apart piece by piece, spilling the bullets as messily as possible. Max left the car and followed Gwen to David, who was running after the other two bad guys. Gwen and Max caught up to David just as the bad guys had already entered the temple.

“They’re getting away!” David cried out.

“They can’t have gotten far, we’ll follow them in.” Gwen reassured. “And with the *glances at Max* three of us working as a team, we’ll definitely catch them.

“Right you are, Gwen.” David agreed.

“Let’s go.” Gwen said, as the three of them headed inside.

Meanwhile, David’s dad was still pinning down the formerly armed gunman from earlier, and was beginning to question him.

“Who are you?” he roared.

“My name is… Rooke.”

“Okay, Rooke, who do you work for?” David’s dad asked firmly, tightly pulling the man’s shirt.

“I work for an organization…”

“Yes. Go on.” David’s dad said, continuing to pull.

“It’s called Nadir Holdings.”

“Keep going.” David’s dad continued, pulling harder.

“We steal artifacts and gold and circulate it among our customers.”

“Like whom?”

“Oh, Neo Nazis, Mafia bosses, right wing hacks, other shady business types. But mostly the Neo Nazis.”

“And what do you intend to do with the artifact?” 

“Sell it on the market. “We’re middlemen. We’re not the evil ones, honestly!”

“Somehow, I find that very hard to believe.” David’s dad said, unimpressed. He turned to his son.

“Henry, once you’ve finished burying those gun bits, help me carry this sorry ass to the temple, will you?”

“On it, Dad!” Henry replied.

Inside the temple, David, Gwen and Max we’re trying to catch up to the other two baddies.

“Watch for tripwires.” Max warned pointing one out just in front of David’s feet.

“Got it, Max.” David replied, stepping over carefully past the trap. Not far ahead of them, there was a crevasse between them and the other side. Max and Gwen stopped at the edge. 

“Do you think they fell in?” Max asked.

“No, they probably brought rope.” Gwen replied, pointing at a small rocky overhang over the crevasse. 

“You could swing over that, right?” Max asked, looking at David. 

“I’ll try.” David said in response. He cracked his whip so that it wrapped itself around the overhang, and he swung across it, planting his feet firmly on the ground the other side.   
He then pushed the end of the whip back to Gwen.

“Okay Max, you next.” Gwen said, handing the whip to him.

“All right, here goes.” Max said with a small amount of trepidation. He sung across and grabbed David’s outstretched hand. 

“Don’t worry, I’ve got you.” David reassured, as Max clambered down from David and onto the ground. David swung the whip back to Gwen, who swung across confidently before landing securely on the other side. David retracted the whip off of the crevasse and the three of them continued to look for the baddies. 

Back outside the temple, David’s dad and Uncle Henry had just finished carrying the other baddie to the temple, restraining the baddie, Rooke, whilst at the same time trying to explain to the onlooking Mayans what was going on. 

“Why have you brought me here?” asked Rooke, slightly panicky in tone.

“Well if we’re blocking the entrance, then your two friends can’t steal the artifact without running into us.”

“Did you not think that we’d have planned for that?” They have guns too! Granted they’re not as big or as good looking as my machine gun, but we’re definitely armed.” Rooke explained.

“Well then, we have a fight!” David’s dad remarked.

Meanwhile, inside the temple, David, Gwen and Max had reached up to another trap. Max looked at the ceiling and noticed a log hammer hanging over head.

“Whoa, hey. Watch your step, David.” Max warned, noticing a pressure plate on the floor. 

“What?” David said, as he stepped on the plate. The log hammer began to swing.

“Shit! David get down!” Gwen shouted, pulling David down low by the shoulders. The log hammer swung down almost to the level David had been pulled to, but thankfully, it didn’t hit him. Once the log hammer had stopped, David, Gwen and Max squeezed past it and moved on. Just around the corner, they saw one of the two baddies, who had got himself caught in a spike trap, the other baddie nowhere to be seen. The guy was bleeding out through his chest.

“Are you okay?” David asked.

“Fuck off.” The man wheezed. David rifled around his backpack to find his first aid kit, taking out some bandages. David wrapped the bandages around the baddie’s chest, to try and stop the bleeding. 

“We’re gonna get you out of here and we’ll get you to a hospital.” David told the man.

“Why would you do that?” the man asked. “You saw what we were doing.” He wheezed.

“Yes, but you don’t deserve to die like this. Nobody does. And I’m not going to abandon you to die like your ‘friend’ just did.” David reasoned. 

“Yeah, he left me to die, the bastard!” he croaked.

“Come on guys, let’s get him out.” David said to Gwen and Max.

“Why? What about catching the other guy?” Max asked.

“There’s only 1 entrance, so if the other asshole has the artifact, we can catch him there. Come on.” Gwen told them, and they started to head back.

“With any luck, he’ll fall into a trap himself.” Max commented.

“If you want to catch him, you better have this.” The baddie said, handing him his revolver.

“Uh, thanks.” Max replied. “Why would you give this to me?” 

“They don’t pay me enough for this shit.” The baddie complained.

“Who’s they?” Max asked.

“I’ll tell you when we get out.” The baddie said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, David. bless your soul, you sweet, summer child.
> 
> Any and all feedback is greatly apprieciated!


	10. To Free a Wandering Soul

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Jones' continue to interrogate Rooke about the people that he works for. David learns that hard way that fate has more power over him than he realises.

The Journey back out of the temple was more difficult now that they had to carry across a wounded man across all the traps they had previously navigated, but eventually, after much effort, they carried him back to the entrance. Once they carried him out of the temple they laid him on the ground in front of Uncle Henry, David’s dad, and Rooke, the wounded baddie’s accomplice, who’s hands were now tied together. 

“This man got caught in a trap and is bleeding an awful lot.” Gwen told them.

“We really need to get him to a hospital as soon as possible.” David commanded. 

“For the record, the other fucker is still running around inside the temple, after he left this poor shit to die.” Max added. 

“He has, connections.” The wounded man wheezed hoarsely. 

“What are you saying?” Uncle Henry asked. 

“The guy still in the temple. He works with us, but his loyalties lie with one of our clients.” Rooke explained. 

“And who would that be?” David’s dad pressed for information.

“Vin…cent…King.” The wounded man wheezed, coughing up blood. 

“Vincent King?” what about him? David’s dad continued.

“He was the one who contracted us to take this artifact.” Rooke confirmed. Meanwhile, David was trying to dial the emergency number, but wasn’t getting anything back.

“David, stop.” The wounded man whispered, loud enough to hear. “It’s too late.”

“What do you mean?” David asked.

“I’m going to die. The doctors…too far away.” The man wheezed. “You made…best efforts.”

“But it wasn’t enough.” David finished, his face sullen. 

“Max…” the wounded man said. “The gun…” Max pulled it out of his pocket.

“No Max!” David shouted. “We brought him out here to save him, not kill him!” 

“Relax, David.” Max said. “I wouldn’t kill a dying man in any circumstance. I’d let him do it himself, but I wouldn’t trust him not to suddenly point it at me or you or anyone else, so it’s going back in my pocket. Sorry I can’t help you man.” The wounded man looked at David and co, and then at the crowd of Mayans, among which was the chief, who was making motions with his hands, and then he smiled.

“It’s alright. I think it’s time now.” The dying man whispered. “Wish me luck.” And he breathed out, falling into sleep. Uncle Henry saw this and knelt on both knees, wrenching his hands together.

“Go forth, wandering soul, and be free.” Henry whispered. David fell on his knees, as tears began to well up in his eyes. 

“God, David, don’t you fucking cry over this shit!” Max shouted. “The bad man died, and it wasn’t even your fault or anything. Get a grip.” 

“That’s not what this is about, Max.” Gwen replied sternly. She crouched down and put her arm around David.

“David.” She said softly.

“Yeah?” David looked up at her.

“You failed an impossible task.”

“I know.” David replied.

“You did so much and got so far for someone you didn’t even know. Someone who probably wouldn’t have thought twice about shooting you.” Gwen added.

“And yet I still failed.” David continued.

“He knew he was dead the instant he fell in the spike, having you there to help him probably made his death a lot less painful than it could have been.” Gwen said to him. “Sometimes, that’s all you can do.”

“All that I can do. Are you kidding me Gwen?! Imagine if that was Max, or you!” David cried out, choking a sob. 

“Really, I don’t want to.” Gwen replied. “It would be just as hard on me as it is on you. However, I can guarantee I’d fight so much harder to stay alive than he just did, and I’m sure Max would say the same. Isn’t that right Max?”

“Yeah. I’m never going to fuckin’ die.” Max agreed, slightly confused at what was going on.

“All we can count on is that you do your best, and that we do ours. It might work out for us, and it might not, but the only way to see it all come good is to walk down the road.” Gwen said. “Get up, we can’t fix this mess with you crying like this.” 

“Okay, I got it.” David said, wiping away the rest of his tears and getting up onto his feet. 

David’s dad, having watched David during his sudden burst of emotions, now turned to face Rooke again, who hadn’t moved once in the meantime.

“So, Rooke. Tell us more about this Vincent King.” 

“Vincent King is the power hungry screwball who paid us half-decent money to steal this artifact. He seems to think it has some sort of special power.”

“Is he some sort of businessman?” Uncle Henry asked aloud.

“I don’t know. I’m sure I saw his name somewhere before.” wondered David.

“You’re right.” Gwen realised. “I’ve seen his name on some of Cameron Campbell’s financial records. Something about Kentucky and gold prices.”

“Oh, you mean the gold in the safe?” Max answered. “Yeah, that Nazi gold had to come from somewhere.” 

“Wait, since when did you know about the Nazi gold?” Rooke asked. 

“Uh, some foreign exchange campers broke into the contents of Campbell’s safe, and almost murdered us. That was a weird day.” Max said. “Cameron still doesn’t know what happened to it.”

“Yeah. Cameron Campbell is really small and harmless as far as our clients go.” Rooke chuckled. “Vincent King is one of the bad eggs. Neo Nazism, white supremacy, you name the atrocity, he stands for it, he throws money at it, and he is a part of it. All he wants is power over others, and he will do anything to get it. 

“So why do you work for him?” Max asked.

“It pays good.” Rooke replied. Max paused, putting his hand over his pocket.

“Tell me why I shouldn’t shoot you now.” Max demanded.

“It’d be a waste of bullets. I can’t possibly shoot you, but both Numero Uno in there and Vincent King potentially could. I’d save it for them.”

“You’re saying that Vincent King is coming here?” Max asked him, not skipping a beat.

“Oh yeah. He wants this artifact so bad that he personally followed our car. That is, until he got impatient and started speeding.” Rooke told them.

“Oh yeah we saw that.” Gwen replied. “He came barrelling past us in his BMW whilst we were driving here.”

“What happened to him?” Rooke asked.

“I’m not sure how this will help you in anyway, but he got arrested by the police.” Max answered.

“Goddammit.” Rooke replied. “I suppose it’ll be a good few hours before he gets here, then.”

“You bet your ass he won’t!” Gwen said to him. “Now that we know that he’s coming later, all we have to do is wait for the other Nazi fuck to exit the cave,” she said before leaning towards David. “and then we take it off of him and return it to its rightful place.” 

“That doesn’t sound too hard, does it?” David said, cracking a smile for the first time in a while. 

“Yup. All that’s left now is the waiting. Max, you listen out for footsteps.”

And, sure enough, he heard them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for making you wait. I really appreciate how much you guys like this story so far! Particularly for those of you who have written nice comments and feedback about this, you are an inspiration.


	11. Crisis Mode

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things start to go wrong. very wrong.

Max stared intently as he heard the sound grow louder. Uncle Henry observed the temple entrance with a look of concern, which quickly turned into one of fear as he saw the silver glint of a gun appear. He looked at Max, who could not see the gun drawn from his point of view, and ran at him.

“Max. Look out!” Uncle Henry shouted, as he ran towards him. 

“What? Max turned to face him, as Uncle Henry made a diving save and pushed Max out of the way.

*Bang*

“Ow! Fuck!” Uncle Henry shouted, clutching his right leg as he fell. Max, who was lying on the ground, could not avoid Henry, who fell on top of him. David’s dad seethed with anger at the sight of his son being shot, and bared his fists as he waited for the shooter to exit the temple.

Unfortunately for him, the shooter was all too aware of what was hiding around the corner. He came out, gun first and shot David’s dad in the thigh, before turning to point the gun at David. He tried to fire again, only then finding out that he had run out of bullets. 

“Well shit.” He muttered to himself. “You’re lucky I had to waste some of these bullets on snakes, you know?” he boasted. He took Rooke by the rope and hoisted him to his car.  
“Anyways, I have the artifact now, motherfuckers! And when we find the Iron Globe for the boss, we’ll combine the two together, and you guys will be in a whole load of deep shit.” He jeered, as he drove off in his big Mercedes truck. 

David stared in front of him as he took a moment to process exactly what had happened.

“Oh my gosh!” David shouted in panic. “Dad! Henry! Are you okay?”

“David! They’ve been shot. Of course they’re not okay!” Max retorted, pulling himself out from under Henry, who was rolling on the floor, clutching his leg in pain. 

“I’ll survive.” David’s dad said, wincing. David took out the roll of bandages from his first aid kit and cut it in half, before handing one of the halves to Gwen.

“Gwen, you deal with Henry’s leg wound. I’ll deal with Dad’s.” David commanded. Gwen took the bandage and ran to Henry.

“Okay.” Gwen looked at the wound, before wrapping it up. “From what I can see, the bullet’s missed all of the major arteries, and you’re not gushing blood everywhere, so this won’t be life threatening, so long as we can get you both to a hospital.” 

“Okay.” Henry replied, through gritted teeth.

“Max, help me get Henry into the car, will you?” Gwen asked.

“On it.” Max responded, getting up onto his feet. He grabbed hold of Henry’s legs, whilst Gwen carried him by the shoulders, where they walked him to the car, still parked where it was. Once Max and Gwen carefully lifted him into the car, Max turned and saw the faces of worried Mayan onlookers. 

“Don’t worry, we’ll stop them.” he said to them. “Wish us luck.” Max finished as one of them smiled, before turning to help David with his dad. David was still patching up his Dad’s thigh, which was bloodied. 

“What’s the diagnosis, doc?” Max said.

“I’m no doctor, Max.” David reminded him, but the bullet has torn through his thigh muscle. If we can get him to a hospital quickly, then he should make a full recovery." 

“Well, what are we waiting for, we gotta move!” Max hurried, beckoning Gwen over to help. The three of them carried David’s dad over to the car and placed him in the front passenger seat, where there was more space. David took the driver’s seat, whilst Gwen and Max sat in the back next to Uncle Henry. 

“Gwen. Do you know where the nearest hospital is?” asked David.

“No, I have no Idea. We’re literally in the middle of bumfuck nowhere.” Gwen replied, 

“There’s one in Palenque.” Henry answered, groaning.

“How far away is that?” David asked.

“It’s 2 and a bit hours away.” Henry replied.

“That’s workable.” Gwen decided. “We could probably get there under two, with how remote and straight the roads are.” David and the others put their seatbelts on and were ready to leave, but then Max raised a hand.

“David. I need your phone.”

“What for, Max?” David asked.

“Whilst you’re driving to the hospital, I need to let the Dean know about the artifact, and whatever it is that asshole said about the iron globe.”

“Iron Globe?” David asked.

“Jesus, David, were you even listening to him? He was yapping on about how we’d all be in deep shit when he combined it with the artifact that HE JUST STOLE!” Max shouted back.

“Alright, alright.” David said, fishing his phone out from his jacket and handing it to Max.

“Let’s Go.” Gwen said, as David turned on the engine and exited the Mayan site. 

As David pressed on as fast as he could reasonably go, Max looked through David’s phone and found Dean Bellamy’s number, dialling it. The dialling tone rang as Max held the phone up to his ear.

“Hello? Who is this?”

“Max. Max Jones, son of David Jones. You sent us to look for the Professor and his son.”

“Ah yes, Max. Is there any chance I can speak to David?”

“No, he’s driving right now.” Max responded.

“Where are you now?” asked the Dean.

“We’ve just left the Mayan site, and we’re heading for a hospital in Palenque.”

“Are Henry and the Professor alright?” Dean Bellamy asked, concerned.

“Well, it’s a long story, but some rich Nazi types came and stole the artifact, and they shot both Henry and the Professor in the leg. They’ll be ok, so long as we get them to a doctor.”

“What’s this about the artifact?”

“It was stolen. The artifact seems to hold some ancient power or something when combined with something called the Iron Globe? Anyway the local Mayan population feared it so much that they locked the two Henrys up until we came to rescue them.” Max explained.

“The Iron Globe? I’m sure we have records on that somewhere. I’ll get back to you on that, for now, just keep going to the hospital.” Dean Bellamy instructed.

“Roger that, sir.” Max replied “I’ll ring you again once we get there.” He said, before hanging up. 

“Who was that?” Gwen asked.

“Oh, that was the Dean of the College. David’s dad is a professor there.” Max replied.

“And Uncle Henry is a student?”

“Yes. David didn’t talk about it at camp, I guess.” Max answered.

“He didn’t, no. David, how far away are we?” Gwen asked.

“We’re nearly approaching tarmac. You guys should get some sleep, it’s a long drive, and it’s getting dark. I can take it from here.” David suggested.

“Who’s going to keep you awake?” Gwen asked.

“We can do that.” Henry pointed out. “Me and dad are in too much pain to fall asleep.” 

“You’ve done a good job of hiding it.” Gwen remarked.

“Yeah, we have.” Henry grimaced, as the group continued to journey their way towards the hospital at Palenque.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait! I had to do a lot of thinking for this one.
> 
> Feel free to comment and give feedback!


	12. At Least They Get to Sleep In A Bed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The three of the arrive in Palenque. David presses Dean Bellamy for details about the globe.

David continued to drive on in the night whilst Max and Gwen were asleep. The road ahead was quiet, with the foreboding darkness threatening to put him to sleep permanently lurking in the shadows. Thank the Lord, that Henry and Dad’s moaning kept him awake. 

“You still alive back there?” David asked.

“Yep, we’re still kicking, just. How far are we?” Henry asked, groaning in pain.

“We’re about 5 minutes from Palenque.” David replied. 

“Ok. That’s all I needed to know.” Henry replied. The five of them soldiered on until they reached the hospital. David parked just in front of the entrance, the drop in velocity gently bumping Max and Gwen awake.

“Are we there yet?” Max yawned.

“We’re there.” David replied. “Wake up. I’ll need your help to carry the others.” 

“Okay.” Gwen responded, getting out of the car. Gwen and Max opened the side door where David’s dad was, and they carried him into the hospital, along with David, who was carrying his brother. The reception desk quickly put people into action, with nurses bringing beds for the two wounded men. 

“Cuál es el problema?” asked the woman at reception.

“Dos hombres fueron fusilados en la pierna.” Gwen answered. She explained to her how they were in need of immediate care, but that they were not critically in danger of dying.

“Gracias.” The Nurses said to her, as they wheeled David’s dad and Uncle Henry off to the relevant ward. 

The three of them waited in the hospital reception while the doctors tended to the other two. Max fished out David’s phone and handed it to David. 

“I said I’d call the dean back, but I’m still too sleepy to get down any details correctly, so I’m letting you call him instead.” Max said drowsily.

“It’s okay Max, I can handle it.” David replied. Whilst Gwen and Max waited (and caught up on sleep) for the doctors to finish tending to David’s dad and Uncle Henry, David stood outside the front of the hospital and rang the Dean.

“Hello, who is this, at this time of night?” The Dean asked.

“This is David Jones, sir.” 

“Ah yes, David. I take it you’re at the hospital now?”

“That’s correct, sir.” David confirmed. “The doctors are tending to them right now as a matter of fact.”

“How bad is it?”

“They’ll make it, don’t worry.” David assured. “Max mentioned about something called the Iron Globe, you said you would look into that."

“I was wondering when you’d get to that.” The Dean mused. “I’ve spent the last two hours looking through information about it and from what I can find, the Iron Globe is one half of a two part treasure, that when combined with the Location Pedestal, has the power to create localised weather phenomena. I’d guess the Location Pedestal is what got stolen from the site at Plan de Ayutla.”

“What was that about localised weather phenomena?” David asked.

“Oh yes. When the two artifacts are put together, it can create many different things, you could send rain, or lightning, tornadoes, hurricanes, hailstones, snow, and earthquakes, if you know how to use it.”

“So were talking about apocalypse-level destruction here?” David asked, concerned.

“Pretty much.” Dean Bellamy replied. 

“Mr Bellamy, do you know where it might be?”

“According to my records, the Mayans haven’t used it since they made a last ditch attempt to repel the Spanish Conquistadors from landing on the shores of (Honduras) and wiping them out, after which they took the pedestal back to Ayutla, and they buried it haphazardly in the beach.”

“So it’s there?”

“Well, no. According to the sources I’m reading, the globe was picked up by the Conquistador Juan Maria de la Cebada, who kept it with him until his death.” The Dean explained.

“So what happened to him?” David asked. 

“He was buried along with it in a tomb about 12 miles east of Guatemala City. And that’s the extent of the public record.” Dean Bellamy answered.

“Public record?”

“I haven’t had time to look through everything, I’ve still got some Barnett College archives to look through. Just get some rest for now, David, you sound like you need it. I’ll get back to you in the morning.” And he hung up. David put the phone back in his pocket and walked back inside. Gwen was awake when he walked in, whilst Max was fast asleep in his chair, too tired to think. 

“So what was that about?” She said, drowsily.

“Oh, I rang the Dean to tell him that we made it, and that Henry and Dad would pull through.” David replied.

“Did he say anything about that globe or whatever?” 

“He said a little bit about it, but he hasn’t finished. He said we should get some rest.

“We’ll need it.” Gwen yawned. 

“I’m going to check the luggage in the car. I’m sure we have a blanket somewhere.”

“We could use the suitcases as headrests.” Gwen said. “They’d be a hell of a lot softer than these plastic chairs.” 

“I’ll go and get them.” David replied. He set off to the car and opened the boot. He looked through his own suitcase to see whether he had packed a blanket. Eventually he found it, lining the bottom of the suitcase. With a tug, he pulled the blanket out of the suitcase. He took two cushions from the backseat that Max had been using to prop himself up to higher, so he looked like he was tall enough to not need a car seat. He closed both of the doors before locking the car and carrying the blanket and cushions into the hospital. He handed the cushions to Gwen, who slid one of them under Max’s head, and she rested her head against another. David sat down next to them and placed the blanket over the three of them. David then tilted his head back and leaned his head against the wall, and he quickly fell asleep. 

Gwen looked at him dozing softly, wondering what it would be like to spend more time with him, not just out of necessity, but because she knew him and like who he was as a person. The thoughts in her head swirled like playful winds on a vast ocean, capable of waking the strongest sailors, let alone Gwen, who had no hope of sleeping whilst occupied by her thoughts. 

“Goodnight, David.” Acting on her feelings, she kissed him lightly on the cheek. David smiled for a second, without leaving his blissful slumber. Gwen then buried her head into her cushion and she fell asleep too. 

Meanwhile, back at Barnett College, Dean Bellamy was busily tidying his desk and putting away all of the history books he had taken out just two hours ago. When he finished doing that, he took out all of the books on the shelf labelled Barnett College Archives and placed each of them on his desk in chronological order.

Drinking the last of the coffee he had, he sat down and pored through each of the archives, checking the references section for any info related to either Juan Maria de la Cebada, his tomb, or the iron globe. Eventually, he came across some references and read the corresponding pages in detail.

“Interesting. Very interesting.” He said to himself with a smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like it so far? Feel free to comment and Leave feedback!


	13. Getting an Explanation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> David, Gwen and Max visit Uncle Henry and David's dad in the hospital while they wait for Bellamy to ring them.

The next morning, David woke up to the morning light with a stiff neck. Electing not to take a cushion for himself had proven to be a mistake, because now his neck ached like mad. Gwen woke up shortly afterward, much better rested. Max continued to sleep, hands tugging onto the cushion he was using as headrest. Gwen and David sat together for a few minutes, getting their bearings and gathering their thoughts, before David finally spoke.

“Gwen, the doctors should have finished operating by now, don’t you think it’s time we see Henry and Dad?”

“I don’t see why not.” Gwen replied. “I’ll get Max up.” She said, gently nudging Max awake. 

“Wha? What’s happening?” Max asked, yawning. 

“We’re at the hospital. We’re going to David’s dad, and Henry, and we’re going to see how well they’re doing.” Gwen calmly told him. 

“Oh, Yeah. Okay.” Max replied, positioning himself so that he sat on the chair instead of laying on it. Gwen and David stood up and Max got up after them and followed them as they made their way to the hospital reception desk, David carrying the blanket and cushions in his arms.

“Donde esta mi hermano y mi padre?” David asked. 

“Están en recuperacíon. Numero 17.” The receptionist answered.

“Gracias.” David replied, and the three of them headed off to the recovery room. In the recovery room, David’s Dad and Henry were laying in their hospital beds waiting, each with a bandaged leg, but both of them were awake, and seemingly in a lot less pain than they were before.

“Ah, David, you’re awake!” David’s dad joked.

“Glad to see you’re doing better, dad, and you too, Henry.” David replied. 

“Sorry about that.” Max apologised. “I shouldn’t have put you through that.”

“Oh, it’s nothing Max. You were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Nothing you could have done about that. I’m just happy you’re still here.” Henry replied graciously.

“How bad was it, in the end?” Max asked.

“Oh, they took out the bullet, lost a bit of muscle as well. We should both be out within a week, though.”

“That’s good to know.” David replied.

“David, did you ever find out the location of that other piece you were talking about?” his Dad asked.

“Well, I rang Bellamy last night, but he said he hasn’t finished his research. He said he’ll get back to me in the morning, so, right now I’m waiting.”

“If he hasn’t called you by 10am, call him. He can be forgetful sometimes.” David’s dad advised.

“When it suits him.” Henry muttered through his teeth.

“You should probably wait here for the time being, until the Dean calls you.” David’s dad told him. “If the other piece happens to be a long way away, it’s probably for the best that you leave us here and go after it by yourselves. We’d only slow you down.”

“We’ll get the dean to take us home once we’ve recovered.” Henry added. 

“You know his number?” David asked.

“Yes we do.” Henry told him. 

“If you want me to, I can put those blankets and cushions back in the car for you, David.” Gwen offered. 

“That would be great! Thanks Gwen!” David replied, and he handed the blanket and cushions, as well as his car keys, to Gwen. Gwen hurried off to the car, and deposited the items on the backseat, before locking the car back up and returning. 

“Did I miss anything?” Gwen asked upon her return.

“Nope.” Max smiled. 

“Say, David,” Uncle Henry asked, “What do you do when you aren’t using you free time looking for us?”

“Well, for most of the year I work in a garden centre, but in the summer I help run a summer camp with Gwen.”

“And believe me, camp counselling is a wild ride.” Gwen added.

“And most of that is because of me.” Max admitted proudly.

“Of course it is, you little shit.” Gwen smiled. Max chuckled in response. 

“And you were one of the campers, Max.” Henry deduced.

“Yeah, camp was okay, I guess.” Max brushed off.

“So how did you end up becoming his Dad, David?” Henry asked.

“Well, it all began when…”

“I’ll do the explaining.” Max cut him off. David nodded and let him speak.

“So we got to the end of camp, said goodbye to our friends, exchanged contact details with them, yada yada yada. And we all went on the camp bus. When I got to my house, however, my parents weren’t home. In fact, a neighbor told me that they’d moved out without me, and not sent the address. So I rang David, he took me in, and it was difficult at first, but eventually we got all the legal rights and stuff sorted out, and here I am.” Max explained, very concisely. David just smiled warmly. 

Just then, David’s phone rang.

“That’ll be the dean.” Gwen pointed out. David fumbled to get his phone out of his pocket and excused himself from the room. David picked up once he was outside the hospital.

“Hello?” 

“Ah yes. David. I knew you’d pick up!” Dean Bellamy replied.

“What’s going on?” David asked.

“Well, late into the night, I did some research. I checked the college records, and according to what it says here, all of the artifacts and jewels, including the iron globe, that were buried with Juan Maria de la Cebada in his tomb were dug up in the 30’s by Professor Henry “Indiana” Jones Jr, and displayed in the college.

“So it’s at the college?” David asked quickly.

“Not quite. It also says here, that the artifacts were here for a number of years, until the jewels were returned to the Guatemalan government. They however, denied the existence of the globe, so it was returned to Indy, who then took it home. As far as I know, it’s been a Jones family heirloom ever since.” The Dean explained. 

“So you mean to say it’s at my house?” David asked.

“It could be. How are Henry and his father doing, by the way?” Bellamy asked.

“Oh, they came out of surgery this morning. They’re doing a lot better now. Dad says they’ll be out of the hospital within a week.”

“That’s good to hear. I’ll deal with the job of getting them home for you. So long, and good luck!” the Dean finished, before hanging up. 

“Well. That was something.” David said to himself, still surprised at the revelation. He put his phone back in his pocket and walked back into the hospital. Upon arriving back into room 17, Gwen and the others looked at him expectantly.

“Well?” Max said. 

“What did he say?” Gwen asked.

“Y-You’ll never believe this, but according to Bellamy, the Globe is currently a Jones family heirloom!”

“What?” Max asked. 

“He said Indy took it home with him." David explained. "Do you know where it might be, Dad?”

“Well, I do remember seeing something like that, but your Grandpa didn’t take it from the house and nor did we when Henry and I moved closer to the college. So it probably is still at home, son.” 

“Oh my god.” Gwen realised. “It’s at your house.”

“It’s at our house.” Max repeated. They stood in surprise for a few seconds, taking the facts in.

“You should probably get going.” Uncle Henry reminded them.

“Oh, yes. Get well soon guys, and hopefully we’ll see you soon.”

“Don’t get yourself hurt, now.” David’s dad.

“I’ll be careful Dad, see you soon.” And the three of them left the hospital room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bellamy's been a busy bee!
> 
> As always, feel free to comment and give feedback!


	14. Going Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> David, Max and Gwen head for home, but a complication forces them to split up.

Outside the hospital, David, Max and Gwen bundled themselves into their car and made themselves comfortable whilst they waited for David to start driving.

“So, what’s the plan?” Gwen asked. 

“Well, we find an airport, take the plane, and then take a taxi back home.”

“Where are we going to find an airport?” Max asked.

“I’m not sure. Why don’t we check the map?” David asked back.

“The map?” Max replied. “Oh yeah.” Max looked around the backseat until he found the map, opening it. 

“There is an airport in Palenque.” Max answered, pointing to it on the map.

“Good, that makes things a lot easier.” Gwen replied.

“Have you both got your seatbelts on?” David asked.

“Yes, David.” Max replied. 

“Then let’s go.” David said. The trio trundled through the streets of Palenque until they reached the airport, where they parked. As they took their luggage and left the car there Max asked a question.

“What’s going to happen to the car?” Max replied.

“We rented it, didn’t we?” David remembered.

“Oh, yeah. Right.” Gwen realised, gritting her teeth. “I’ll take it back.” She said, opening the boot and putting her luggage inside. “I’ll be with you as soon as I can.” 

“Okay. Stay safe.” David told her.

“I’ll be fine, don’t worry.” Gwen said as she walked to the driver side door. “The keys, please?” 

“Yup. Here.” David said, tossing the keys to her. Gwen caught them and stepped into the car.

“Alright. See you in a day or two.” Gwen replied.

“See you then!” David beamed. 

“Bye.” Gwen said, as she pulled out of the parking space and off into the distance. David and Max watched as she drove off, Max frowning as David smiled.

“You seem awfully pleased.” Max said, snarkily.

“What?” David protested. 

“Forget it. We have shit to do, remember?”

“Language, Max.” David reminded him, as they both walked into the airport. The wait time for the next flight home was a couple of hours, and Max was beginning to get impatient. David noticed Max becoming fidgety and tried to calm him.

“If your worried about the other guys getting there first, I’d say, with any luck, that they don’t know what the college knows.”

“I’m not worried about that, David.” Max replied. “I’m just bored.” 

“Well, how would you pass the time?” David asked. As he said that, the tannoy over the speakers called for David and Max’s flight to begin boarding.

“Looks like we won’t need to.” Max smirked. Max and David headed to the gate in order to board the plane. Once they were on, they sat down in their seats and waited for the plane to take off. When the plane took off in the air, David suggested they get some much needed shut-eye, which Max agreed to, and they both fell asleep in their seats. 

As they slept the plane covered a lot of ground, and by the time they woke up, it was almost time to land. David felt a lot more rested than he did that morning, and Max was happy to not have to listen to him talk, which was rest enough for him. The two of them looked out of the window as the plane landed on the runway. 

“Well, we’re back.” Max uttered as He and David walked off the plane.

“We’re still a ways away yet.” David reminded. “Just a short taxi ride and we’ll be back home in no time.”

“It took, like, an hour last time.” Max complained. 

“Yes, it did. But then we’ll be home, and we can have Mac and Cheese and whatever Ice Cream we have in the freezer.” David promised.

“Promise?” Max asked. David just nodded. David exchanged his remaining Pesos for Dollars in the airport, before they both headed for a Taxi, which they both got inside. David gave him the directions for his house and the Taxi pulled out of the car park. 

As soon as they made it onto the highway, David’s phone began to ring. David reached into his pocket and answered his phone, looking at it and seeing it was from Gwen.

“Hello?” David said? “Gwen?”

“Yeah it’s me. I’m okay.” Gwen said.

“Where are you?” David asked.

“I’m sitting in a restaurant on the side of the road.” Gwen answered.

“Yeah, okay. Anything else I should know?” David asked.

“Yeah. Remember the bad guys we met earlier? I saw them heading northbound on the highway. I was sitting here in the restaurant so they didn’t see me, just thought I’d give you a heads up.”

“Thanks Gwen. Guess they worked out it wasn’t in Guatemala.”

“Yep. Anyway, I’ll see you soon. Just the rest of the journey to go and I’ll meet up with you when I get there.”

“Okay. See you soon!” David replied.

“Bye!” Gwen said, before she hung up.

“Sounds like the bad guys are gonna go after Bellamy, huh?” Max noted.

“Yes, but from what Gwen said, it still sounds like we have plenty of time.” David replied. “We’ll call him when we get home.”

“No, we’ll call him when we find the globe.” Max retorted. “If he’s anything like Campbell is, and I’ve been suspecting that since I first saw him, He’ll want to see results first.” 

“Well, I guess the globe will be pretty easy to find.” David compromised.

“Yeah.” Max agreed. The two of them sat quietly for the rest of the journey, listening to the music playing on the Taxi’s radio, until the Taxi pulled over at David and Max’s house. David paid the Taxi Driver as they exited the Taxi and walked up to their door. David turned the key and Max opened it.

“Okay, we’re home.” David said. “Do you want a drink or something first or do you want to look now?”

“We’ll look now. There’s really only two places it could be. It’s either in the attic, or it’s proudly on display.”

“I’ll check the attic.” David replied.

“And I’ll check the mantelpiece and the windowsills.” Max finished. The two of them got to looking. Max checked the mantelpiece and the windowsills, not finding anything resembling it. 

“Nothing on my end.” Max called to David.

“It might be worth checking… oh wait.” David said, rifling through a box labelled ‘Indy’s treasures’.

“I found it!” David said excitedly. 

“Okay.” Max replied with a smile as he sat on the sofa. Not long later, David made his way out of the attic and into the living room, Iron Globe in hand.

“Is that it?” Max asked. 

“Yes, this is it. This is what they’re looking for.” David replied, placing it on the mantelpiece, where it could easily be seen.

“You gonna call Bellamy?” Max asked. 

“I’ll call Bellamy, then we’ll have Mac and Cheese.” David answered. 

David took his phone out of his pocket and rang Bellamy.

“Hello?”

“It’s David. We found the Globe.” 

“Oh, wonderful.” Bellamy replied. “How are your family?”

“Oh, we’re fine. Dad’s getting better, and so is Henry.” David replied. “Just as a heads up, Gwen saw those Neo Nazi guys headed north on a Mexican highway. They might be headed your way.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll deal with them.” Bellamy promised.

“Okay. See you around, sir.” David replied, hanging up. David looked around and saw that Max had already set the table and was waiting patiently. 

“Alright, Max. Mac and Cheese is on the way.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The pieces are beginning to fall into place...
> 
> Feel Free to Comment and Give Feedback!
> 
> I also have a Tumblr now, if you're interested. https://stereochromatic404.tumblr.com/


	15. Rest and Relaxation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> David and Max enjoy some much needed R&R, whilst Gwen tries to make her way home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is Mostly Fluff :)

David stirred and heated the Mac and Cheese in the pan until it was piping hot and ready to be served. He took the pan and laid it on the table serving the delectable meal into Max’s plate. Max began to tuck in as David put some on his plate. David ate slowly and watched as Max wolfed down the meal as fast as he could. It was the first proper meal they had since they went to that café on the road to Ayutla, and Max was glad to be eating off a plate again. David wondered, however, whether there was another reason Max was eating so quickly. 

“There, done. Can I have some ice cream now?” Max said, showing off his empty plate.

“Hold on a minute, Max. I haven’t finished yet.” David replied, calmly taking another forkful for food. Max waited impatiently for David to finish, twiddling his fork and spinning it while he pressed the handle into the table. David finished eating the last few tasty morsels of macaroni, and finished. Max watched intently as David got up and walked to the freezer, taking out a tub of ice cream and placing it on the table. Max got up to fetch some ice cream cones from the cupboard, putting them on the table as David scooped out the ice cream onto one of them, handing it to Max.

“Thanks, David.” Max replied, taking the ice cream. Max joyfully ate it whilst David made an ice cream for himself. The two of them sat quietly eating their ice cream as the early evening sun shone through the window. For the first time since before they left, all was calm. ‘Of course it wouldn’t last for long,’ David thought, ‘but we can enjoy it for the moment.’ Max sat on the sofa after eating the last of his ice cream and turned on the TV. 

“What show is that?” David asked, biting into his ice cream cone. 

“Magnum, P.I.” Max replied without looking away.

“That show was from before my time.” David replied. 

“And? This channel is full of old cop shows, and some of them are even watchable.” Max retorted. 

“It wouldn’t hurt to do something else, like Monopoly, or Clue, or…” David suggested.

“They’re not exactly fun for 2 player games.”

“What about Mario Kart?” 

“Sure, we could play that.” Max relented. Max set up the Wii to play Mario Kart, taking out the Wii Fit disc that David had (because of course he would have that.) and putting it in its box. Max and David sat on the sofa as the game booted up. They selected their characters and then Max chose Rainbow Road. 

David watched the smile on Max’s face grow as he left him in the dust, and David fell off the track at every turn. David didn’t really play many video games, except with Max, and as such, He always lost. Still, it made Max happy, which was a win in his eyes. David managed to get a Power-up which moved him up to 8th place, but Max had already finished 1st. 

The two of them continued playing until the late evening, and David made nice hot tomato soup for the both of them, which they ate in relative peace. After they ate, the two of them watched a boring farming programme (David insisted it was interesting) before Max got ready for bed. David caught up on the latest news, before checking Max was asleep, and after that he too, went to bed and clocked out for the night.

Meanwhile, Gwen drove on into the night as she drove into Tapachula. By now it was late and she was exhausted. As she found her parent’s car dealership, she pulled into the garage and returned the keys to the front desk, with a note telling her parents. Groggily, she hailed a taxi to the nearby airport, falling asleep on the journey. She paid the taxi cab when he stopped, and made her way, along with her luggage into the waiting area.

Falling in and out of sleep every 5 minutes, her plane was finally called, and she took a long nap as soon as the plane was in the air. The flight was uneventful, without even a shred of turbulence to disturb Gwen from her slumber. Eventually, as dawn broke, Gwen woke up just as the plane was landing, and she took a Taxi to Sleepy Peak, catching an extra hour of sleep. Gwen woke up as the car pulled to a halt, not far outside David’s house. She paid the taxi driver, and walked, along with her luggage, to the front door of David’s house.

David was, somehow, already up and awake when Gwen texted him, asking to let her in. David stopped what he was doing for a moment and went to open the door.

“Morning Gwen!” David beamed. 

“Morning David.” Gwen said, still only half awake.

“Come here.” David said softly, opening out his arms. Gwen reciprocated the gesture, and the two of them hugged. Gwen’s stomach rumbled as she wrapped her arms around him. David let out a light chuckle.

“You want breakfast?” David asked her. 

“Mhm.” Gwen hummed in approval. David broke from the hug and went into the kitchen to make breakfast, as Gwen followed him into the dining table.

“Would you like bacon and eggs?” David asked. “I have pancakes already made.” 

“Yes please.” Gwen replied. As she said that, Gwen heard the pattering of tiny feet make its way down the stairs. 

“Heard there was pancakes.” Max walked in, rubbing his eyes. He opened his eyes to see Gwen at the table.

“Oh. Hi Gwen. Didn’t expect to see you here, at least not this early.”

“Max, give her some space.” David reminded him. “She’s tired from driving for 12 hours straight. She needs a rest and she’ll be here until she says otherwise.” David smiled.

“Thanks David.” Gwen replied.

“I wasn’t complaining.” Max talked back, sitting down at the table.

“You hungry?” Gwen asked. 

“Yep.” Max responded, as Gwen’s stomach rumbled again. “Sounds like you are too.” 

“I haven’t had any ‘real’ food since lunch.” Gwen explained. 

“Glad to see you back.” Max smiled, as David brought pancakes to the table. Max and Gwen drizzled their pancakes in syrup and ate happily as David made bacon and eggs, joining them at the table once they were cooked. The three of them ate heartily as Gwen regaled about her long drive to Tapachula. David also detailed on their trip back home.

“We found the Globe.” Max pointed to it on the nearby mantelpiece. 

“You told me earlier. It looks rather benign for such a destructive relic.” Gwen commented.

“I’m well aware. David found it in a box in the attic.” Max added, getting up and reaching for the coffee pot. Max poured out a coffee for each of them, and left them to add their own amount of milk.

“Thanks Max.” Gwen replied, beginning to drink up. Max just smiled as he sat down and drank his own cup.

The three of them talked some more as they drank coffee. Max and Gwen sat in front of the TV and watched cartoons (it was either that or the News) as David cleared away the breakfast table. Eventually David joined them on the sofa as they watched the screen.

The three of them sat peacefully, and Gwen leaned on David’s shoulder as they watched relaxing morning programmes. For a while, it seemed like finally, everything was right with the world.

And then the phone rang.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who's on the other end of that phone call? 
> 
> Feel free to Comment and Give Feedback!


	16. Battle Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A stroke of bad luck forces David, Gwen and Max to seek outside help.

“Who could that be?” David asked as he walked over to the phone and picked up. “Hello?”

“Hi.” There was a pause. “It’s Bellamy.”

“What’s wrong? You sound downbeat.” David asked.

“Well, something happened.” Bellamy replied. “They came to us, and demanded we give them the globe. They held me and my assistant at gunpoint, so I told them where you were. I had to. They left about ten minutes ago, they’re onto you, David. God help you. Don’t let them get hold of it, for all of our sakes.” And he hung up.

David put the phone down and looked at Gwen with a sullen expression.

“What happened?” she asked.

“Bellamy caved.” David replied.

“Fuck.” Gwen swore audibly, racking her brains to try and find a way out of their current predicament. “When did they leave?”

“About 10 minutes ago.” David replied. “We have a minimum of 6 hours to prepare.”

“Well we sure as hell can’t stay here.” Gwen replied. 

“Agreed. We can’t put any of the townsfolk in danger.” David replied. “We need to go somewhere, far from civilians, that is easily defensible.”

“Only question is, where would that be?” Gwen pondered aloud. 

“What about Camp Campbell?” Max suggested. “It’s secluded, has one entrance, and Campbell has a secret stash of weapons in his bunk.”

“That’s a good shout.” Gwen replied.

“Not that we’ll need to use weapons, Max.” David told him, one hand resting on his whip. 

“It’s worth a look anyway.” Max protested.

“Then it’s settled. We go to Camp Campbell and spend the next 6 hours setting up defences so we can stop Vincent King and his henchmen from getting the globe.” Gwen said.  
“Let’s Go.” David called out, taking the car keys and leading Gwen and Max out to the campmobile. Once they were inside, David drove them all to Camp, where they parked next to the Mess hall and got out.

“It’s eerie when there’s no one around.” Gwen spoke. 

“I’m amazed it’s still as tidy as when you left it.” Max replied.

“That’s because Cameron Campbell has been doing his community service by keeping this place in shape!” David explained.

“He’s still here?” Max asked.

“Yes. And he will be until we can find a way to get the Millers to reduce his punishment.” Gwen replied.

“Right.” Max pinched his forehead. He looked at the Mess Hall and gave a large grin.

“You got an idea, Max?” David asked.

“You’ll see.” Max replied. They walked inside the Mess Hall and looked up at the ladder to Campbell’s attic. The hatch was closed. Max climbed the ladder and knocked on the hatch.

“What is that noise?” Campbell yawned slowly, as he got out of bed. He was dressed in pyjamas as he opened the hatch. “David? What are you doing here?”

“We uh, have a problem.” David answered.

“You ever heard of a man named Vincent King?” Max asked.

“Ohh, Fuck, yes I have.” Cameron replied. “What sort of crazy bullshit is he up to now?”

“You know him?” Gwen asked.

“He was a ‘former’ business contact of mine, with a lot of wacky ideas.” Campbell explained, with finger quotes.

“Like holding the world to ransom?” Gwen asked.

“He’s dreamed of doing that, but I doubt he would actually do that.” Campbell answered.

“Well he’s about to, unless you can help us stop him.” Max warned.

“I’m listening.” Campbell replied. 

“Vincent King is after this.” Max replied, as David showed Campbell the globe.

“The Iron Globe? I’ve heard of the legend.” Campbell replied. Doesn’t it have another piece?”

“He has it.” The three of them replied in unison.

“So you want me to help you stop King from executing his doomsday plan? What’s in it for me?” Campbell asked.

“Well, either King takes over the world and kills us all, or you get credit for saving the world, and all that entails.” Max offered.

“Like a 90% reduction in community service hours.” Gwen added.

“I’m in.” Campbell replied. “Now, if you’ll let me get dressed.”

“Absolutely Mr Campbell.” David apologised. The three of them waited around until Campbell was dressed before he opened the hatch again.

“Come on in.” Cameron said, as Max, David and Gwen followed him into his room. 

“What was it you said about a secret stash, Max?”

“Oh, might he be referring to this?” Campbell replied, pressing a button on his wall. The wooden walls retreated to reveal a wall of weapons and gadgets with enough guns and explosives to sustain a small army. 

“Seriously Campbell, you had this all this time?” Gwen asked. 

“Yes!” Cameron nodded.

“We, won’t be needing this stuff.” David told them. “Offensive firepower isn’t going to stop any of us from getting shot. We’re going to need defensive tools, like pit traps, nets, strategic cover positions.

“A battle plan.” Campbell suggested. 

“Yes. Planning is indispensable, as a great man once said.” David agreed.

“Ulysses S. Grant?” Campbell wondered aloud.

“Eisenhower.” Max replied.

“Anyway, you have any ideas, David?” Campbell asked.

“I was thinking, we should tie a rope to one of the trees, and have one of us hold it whilst hiding behind another one. We should be able to trip up at least one of the gunmen that way.” David suggested.

“I think I should hide up in a tree and shoot them from up top with…” Max rifled his pockets. “Hey, where’d my gun go?”

“I threw it away while you were sleeping, at Palenque.” David replied. “Didn’t want you to get yourself hurt with it.”

“Oh for fuck’s sake.” Max huffed. “What should I do then?” 

“You can be there to trigger a net trap when the guys walk under it.” David answered. “That way they will be immobilised.”

“I shall procure a Pig’s carcass from the Quartermaster’s store in order to try to scare off the intruders by attracting a pack of wolves.” Cameron added. 

“I’m not sure that’s the best idea.” David objected, stroking his chest. 

“Relax, the wolves will see them, not us, we’ll all be hidden.” Cameron reassured him. "I think digging a hole for you would a better plan than hiding behind a tree, David."

"Oh, of course, Mr Campbell." David replied.

“And I will be in the counsellors' cabin with the globe, waiting to hit anyone that comes in over the head with your guitar.” Gwen suggested. 

“Perfect, we all have a plan.” Campbell said. “Now let’s put it into action.” And the four of them headed down the ladder and out of the mess hall. The four of them spent the next hour digging a hole near the entrance for David, as well as finding rope for the tree, and fake grass to conceal it, before spending some more time building Max’s net trap. Once that was prepared, they ate whatever lunch they had in the mess hall, before continuing. Campbell had secretly armed himself in case everything went pear shaped, and he hoisted the Pig’s carcass in a bucket (not to be confused for chicken soup) to the centre of the camp.

“There, the wolves should be here by the time those bastards arrive.” Cameron said. Cameron hid himself atop Nerris’ mage tower, still standing since the end of summer, armed with his gun. David and Max got into their respective positions, while Gwen waited behind the wall, guitar in hand.

“We’re ready.” David said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to comment and give feedback!


	17. The Might of Agressive Pacifism

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The bad guys finally arrive, and David and the others are in the fight of their lives...

The all too familiar sound of a 4x4 Mercedes rumbled in the distance. The roar of the engine quieted to a hum, and then nothing at all as the car came to a stop at the camp entrance. David checked both of his pockets and watched from his hidey hole as Vincent King, dressed in a sharp, black business suit, and four of his men, carrying assault rifles, stepped out of the vehicle. Max, Campbell and Gwen watched from their respective positions as Vincent’s lackeys shut the doors. And walked inside the camp. 

“You two, search that way, the others, with me. They must be around here somewhere.” Vincent King barked in a gravelly voice. The two gunmen walked into David’s view, and waiting for the right moment, he pulled the rope taut.

“Oh Fuck!” One of the men shouted as the two men tripped on the rope, chucking their guns so they could break their fall. Vincent King looked over at his fallen men.

“Get up, you nimrods!” 

“On it, sir.” They replied. They reached for their guns, and grabbed hold of them, only then noticing the pairs of hungry canid eyes staring at them. 

“Wolves! Get back!” as the wolves drew towards them. The two of them scampered up the nearest tree, staying put as the wolves made their way towards the pig’s carcass.

“Shit. They didn’t attack.” Campbell cursed in hushed whispers. The two cowards went back down the tree and picked their guns back up. Vincent King made an agonising whine at his underlings’ sudden incompetence.

“If you want to do something useful, why don’t you check those leaves there? Surely there’s someone under there.” And they made their way towards Max’s tree.

“This is too easy.” Max snickered to himself, as they stood under him. They barely had a chance to look up before Max had triggered the net trap, disabling both the goons and their guns. 

“Got ’em.” Max grinned. Vincent King face-palmed, before quickly regaining his composure. “You two, fire at that tree!”

“Roger that sir.” As they aimed their weapons at Max’s tree.

“Shit.” Max breathed, preparing to jump to a nearby branch. 

“If you don’t come out on the count of three, we’ll fire!” One of the gunmen said.

“Oh no you don’t” Campbell silently glared angrily at the gunmen from his vantage point.

“1… 2…”

“Over here, Assholes!” Campbell roared at the top of his voice. This caught the attention of the gunmen, who now aimed at Cameron, and they began to open fire. Cameron ducked and rolled as the bullets ricocheted through the flimsy floorboards of Nerris’ tower. Cameron backed into a corner, waiting for either of the gunmen to appear so he could fire back at them. 

Meanwhile, David took the opportunity to get out of the hidey hole whilst the gunmen weren’t looking and he sauntered behind them. 

“Behind you!” Vincent shouted, from close to the counsellors’ cabin. The gunmen promptly turned around to face David, who, with his whip drawn, slung the whip right at one of the assault rifles, whisking it out of the gunman’s hand and tossing it into the ground where it broke.

“Hey! The gunman shouted. David slung the whip again, coiling it around the gunman’s arm. The other gunman reloaded his empty clip, with the intention of shooting David at point blank. David watched in terror as he saw down the barrel of the gun. The gunman was just about to shoot him when...

“Cannonball!” Cameron shouted, as he ran and leapt from the tower, right at the one remaining active gunman. David winced as Campbell landed squarely on the gunman, immobilising him.

“ow.” The gunman groaned weakly.

With David busy keeping his gunman from escaping, and Cameron keeping the other one pinned, Vincent King crept ever closer to the counsellors’ cabin. Gwen waited, guitar in hand, for King to peek around the corner.

“I know you’re there.” Vincent growled, up against the wall. “Don’t sit there thinking you can surprise me.” He reached into his jacket. “I have a knife, and I will stab you.” He threatened coldly.

“I’ve dealt with knife murderers before.” Gwen replied with determination. Hearing Gwen’s words of confidence, Vincent picked his moment to strike. 

“Hyaa!” Vincent shouted, jerking his knife towards Gwen, who desperately parried with her guitar. Using all of her strength, she held Vincent’s arm back as he backed her against the wall. 

“Where is the globe?” Vincent seethed.

“I’m not letting you have it.” Gwen growled, dragging the guitar across his arm, displacing the knife from his hand. Vincent barely flinched as the knife landed on the ground. Now his hand was free, he held the guitar back with his right hand and punched Gwen in the jaw with his left. Gwen felt pain rush through her head as she clattered into the wall.

“Fucking hit him, Gwen!” Max shouted words of encouragement from the tree.

Gwen held the guitar across her now with both hands, trying to push Vincent off of her. 

David, meanwhile had finished tying up his gunman and ran towards the cabin himself. Bursting through the door he saw Gwen struggling to break from Vincent’s grasp as the guitar strings pressed on her face. 

“David, could you help?” Gwen strained. David composed himself and looked at Vincent.

“Hey Vincent, looking for this?” David called out, showing off the Iron Globe in his hand. Vincent turned around, catching sight of the globe, and let go of Gwen. He reached for the globe, as Gwen lifted guitar. David pulled the globe away at the last second, and as Vincent looked up at it, Gwen brought the guitar down on his head. 

Vincent King clattered into the floor and fell unconscious. David put the globe back in his pocket, and looked at Gwen, who hovered over Vincent, ready to strike if he ever got up.   
“I’ll start rounding them up so the police can take care of them.” David assured. He left the counsellors’ cabin and untied the rope from the tree, taking it to the three men outside, now that Gwen had dragged Vincent to them, and tying the three of them up. David also took the time to confiscate the guns off of the two netted goons and put them out of sight. 

“That’s all of them. All that’s left now is to call the police.” David said.

“One step ahead of you, David.” Gwen replied, whipping out her phone. She began to type for 911, but was interrupted by the screeching of tyres.

“Hey, isn’t that…?” Cameron wondered aloud behind them.

“The Millers!” David realised, as the two men exited their car and walked calmly over to David and the others.

“Afternoon, counsellors.” The Millers took turns to speak. “We came as soon we heard reports of gunfire in the area.” “We thought Mr Campbell might have had something to do with it.”

“Nope.” Cameron smiled confidently, hands behind his back.

“Actually, the criminals responsible are here.” Gwen gestured to Vincent King and his underlings. 

“They were trying to kill us to obtain a priceless artifact.” David explained. “We apologise for any inconvenience.”

“No need for apologies.” The Millers assured. “We will handle everything from here. We might have to ask you some questions later on, but for now, just leave this to us.”

“Will I get my community hours cut?” Cameron asked nervously in David’s direction.

“That depends.” The Millers replied. “You’ll find out soon enough.” David and Gwen left the Millers to deal with the criminals. 

Max watched from atop the tree as the conversations finished. “I think I can get down now.” He thought. He adjusted his posture, only to slip on the branch. 

“Ah!” Max squealed as he grabbed onto the branch, cling onto it for dear life.

“David! Help!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh oh...
> 
> Feel free to Comment and Give Feedback!


	18. An Adventure and a Half

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max's life is (quite literally) hanging in the balance. Can anyone help him?

“Max!” David turned instantly to see his son dangling from the tree, and darted towards him.

“Don’t worry, I’m here!” David tried to reassure.

“David, I’m going to fall!” Max panicked.

“I’ll be here to catch you!” David replied. 

“But what if you don’t?” Max worried.

“I will, you just have to trust me!” David pleaded. Max looked up at his hands as they strained to hold on to the branch, and then looked down at David, waiting with open arms. Realising he wasn’t going to be able to keep himself there forever, he let go.

Max’s face paralysed in fear as he fell, as if having second thoughts about his decision. David outstretched his arms and whisked Max away from the doomed hard ground.

“I’ve got you!” David said, as he caught Max, who hugged him instinctively as a feeling of safety and calm washed over him. After a few seconds, Max broke away from the hug, and David lowered him down to the ground. David turned his attention to Gwen, who was sporting a nasty bruise after the fight with Vincent King.

“You okay, Gwen? You look hurt.”

“I’m fine David. It’ll heal.” Gwen replied.

“I can grab some anti-inflammation cream from the first aid kit if you need.”

“No, David, I’m fine…” she trailed off, as she watched David dash to the campmobile. Upon arriving at the car, David opened the trunk and took out the first aid kit, before running back. David’s eagerness to get to Gwen as quickly as possible caused the globe to fall out of his pocket, and it landed on the ground with a large thud, and the whole camp shook for a second.

“Woah, shit.” Max exclaimed, as he held onto Gwen for stability. 

“No need to rush, David.” Gwen said calmly, as the ground quietened down. 

“I hear you, Gwen. David replied, picking up the globe and walking the rest of the way. David opened up the first aid kit, and applied the cream on Gwen’s bruise.

“Thank you, David.” Gwen replied. 

“You’re welcome.” David replied, as he closed up the first aid kit. One of the Millers walked up to where David, Gwen, Max and Campbell were standing.

“Hello there, Mr Campbell.” 

“Yes?” Mr Campbell asked. 

“You will be pleased to know we have the perpetrators in custody. But before you go, we would like to take a few witness statements, so we can ascertain what happened here.” Agent Miller explained. Gwen, David, Max and Campbell took turns explaining the events of the past few days and the circumstances surrounding it, while Agent Miller took notes. Once they had finished, Agent Miller looked at them and smiled. 

“Well, Mr Campbell, judging by your actions, and the corroborating statements from David, Gwen and Max, it would be in our interest to review the amount of community service hours you currently require. Expect to hear from us in a week or so.” 

Cameron gave a short, hopeful smile in return.

“As for the rest of you, there will come a point where you may need to testify in court. We will notify you as and when that happens. As of now, you are free to go.”

“What about the artifacts?” David asked.

“We have confiscated the one that was on Vincent King’s person, and we will return it to where it rightfully belongs, with the help of Professor Jones. You may hold on to the artifact you currently have, but we recommend that you put it somewhere safe and hidden.”

“Understood. Thank you.” David replied.

“Not a problem.” Agent Miller replied, as he turned back to his car.

Max looked up at David. “Can we go home now?”

“Yeah, let’s do that.” David replied. “Why don’t we have chocolate and marshmallows when we get home?” Max nodded in response.

“Mmm.” Gwen hummed, imagining the warmth of her favourite coffee mug. The trio left Cameron in charge of the camp and headed home. David pulled into the parking space outside his and Max’s house, and the three of them got out of the car. Max and Gwen waited while David unlocked the front door. 

“Finally, we’re home. And we don’t have Nazis chasing us this time.” Max said.

“That’s a relief.” David added. “I’ll go make us a few drinks.” 

Max and Gwen sat on the sofa as David made them all hot chocolate mountains, with whipped cream and marshmallows, before joining them. 

Gwen stirred the chocolate in her mug, steam rising from the surface, as she sat, having already eaten the cream and marshmallows.

“Well, that was an adventure and a half.” She commented, finally able to relax.

“You bet. When I said I wanted a holiday… that was not what I expected.” Max added, holding his cup in both hands.

“Still, I hope you got something out of it. Even if it wasn’t what we were hoping for.” David replied.

“Like what, Nazis are bad? That I can chip in to help for the greater good? Or that you can be always counted on when the chips are down? Is that what we learned?” Max asked.  
“I think we learned a lot of things.” Gwen replied, smiling sweetly at David. David smiled back, as he drank his chocolate. He finished his cup, and put it down on the coffee table.

“I’m going to go out into the garden, and find a place to bury this thing so it never gets used again.” He told Max and Gwen. David got up, and went out into his backyard. He found an old cake tin and carefully put the globe inside, before digging a hole in his vegetable patch and putting the tin inside. He covered the hole in dirt, before making his way back to the house.

While David was busy burying the globe, Max heard the phone ring and answered it.

“Hello?” Max said.

“Max?” Replied the voice on the other end.

“Nikki? It’s been a while. How’s San Diego?”

“Oh, it’s been great. Yesterday we went to the beach. Me and mom both got a sun tan, and Neil’s dad got clawed by a crab, which was kinda fun. Anyway, what’s going on where you are, Max? I tried ringing you on Sunday, but it seems like you were out.”

“You did? Well, it’s a long story, David got a call about his family, then we went to Mexico to find them, Gwen was there too, there was some bad guys and fighting and guns involved, I’ll tell you in more detail when you get back, but yeah, We’re all good here."

“Sounds like you were on quite an adventure Max. I can’t wait to hear more from you! I have to go now. Mom wants her phone back. See ya!”

“You too, Nikki.” And Nikki hung up. Max turned around to see David had returned from his gardening.

“Hi, Dad.” Max said. 

David smiled in response to Max, and turned to look at Gwen, who smiled back.

“What?” Max asked. “I’ve been living with you for the past few months, and after what we went through this week, I might as well start now.” 

“Thank you, Max.” David replied proudly. Gwen smiled too, looking at David.

“You don’t mind if I stay for the night, right?” Gwen asked David.

“I think we can afford to be one big, happy family for the night, don’t you think?” David replied, turning to look at Max. 

“Sure.” Max replied. “But I’m not calling Gwen mom, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

“That’s fine by me.” Gwen replied. David walked off into the kitchen, only to return with a cookie jar in his hands.

“I almost forgot.” David said, placing the jar on the coffee table, and sharing the cookies with Max and Gwen, and the three of them all sat on the sofa watching TV for the rest of the afternoon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that was a wild ride! Thank you for reading, and Thank you for all the lovely comments! I hope you enjoyed it!
> 
> Feel Free to Comment and Give Feedback!


End file.
